


On the Loose

by TheRechercheRambler



Category: Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, finally got enough inspiration to start writing it out, had ideas for something like this floating around for a long time, maybe more characters to come - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-08-18 20:03:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8174270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRechercheRambler/pseuds/TheRechercheRambler
Summary: In the wake of Pop Star's recovery from roboticization, Galacta Knight's crystal prison unexpectedly crashes down onto the planet, releasing him. When our heroes discover that the powerful warrior is at large on their world, they decide they must find Galacta Knight, and stop him before he decides to live up to his fearsome reputation. Chapter 14: In which this tale comes to a close.





	1. Chapter 1

In the depths of space, there floated a large blue crystal. It drifted aimlessly, a dark silhouette against the stars. Slowly it made its way past the frigid world called Shiver Star, beyond the skies over peaceful Ripple Star, through the outermost edges of the debris field around the fragments of Rock Star. Eventually, the crystal approached and left in its wake Half Moon, Mecheye, Cavios, and all of the other smaller satellites surrounding a golden, star-shaped planet.

Maybe it was by chance, or maybe somehow by the magic that had created it, the crystal ventured closer to this particular planet than it had to any of the others. For a while- who knows whether a long while or a short while, it's all the same to a crystal- it circled the golden planet in a lazy orbit. All that while it descended, heading closer and closer to the planet's surface. Finally, it gave up on trying to stay airborne all together and let itself fall, accelerating through the atmosphere at a breakneck pace. That is to say it fell at a break- _stone_ pace, for as soon as the crystal touched down (leaving an impressively-sized crater that any crystal would be well within its rights to be very proud of) it instantly shattered into hundreds of pieces.

And that was the end of the crystal prison, but not the end of its solitary inmate; a round, winged magenta blob in white armor.

This inmate, while understandably stunned by the shock of this high-velocity, high-altitude, high… _everything_ impact, hurried to his unsteady feet, clutching a long lance in one hand and a gleaming shield in the other. He saw nothing but chunks of crystal, a few downed trees, and his own impact crater. Suspicious, he whirled around, but there was nothing of note behind him, either.

He came to the shocking- but not unpleasant- realization that there was no one out to get him, at least not at the moment. In spite of that, he didn't let himself relax, even though he was safe and more than a little exhausted. The idea of relaxing didn't even occur to him; you might say he'd forgotten how. Instead, he aimed a kick at a nearby chunk of crystal, which crumpled in a very satisfying way. Part of him longed to stick around the crater and obliterate the remains of his late and unlamented a little more, but he knew that such an event would not go unnoticed for long.

Reluctantly Galacta Knight spread his wings and took to the air with great speed. The last few times he'd been unbound, he'd been confronted by a belligerent knight who'd wished to fight him, and then stuffed back inside his personal oubliette once more as soon as the battle was over. He assumed that, for whatever reason, this other knight had wanted to go against Galacta Knight for a fourth round.

But if his challenger wasn't going to show up to a duel that he'd arranged, then Galacta Knight felt he had no obligation to stick around and wait for him. Galacta Knight soared away, high over the unfamiliar land, above forests of the greenest green, around floating islands, and through bubbly clouds. He was going to sneak in every free moment he could this time.

 

As it turned out, not many Dreamlanders took notice of the event. Their planet had only recently been restored to its normal, unmechanized state, and they'd more than had their fill of dealing with strangeness. If the dazzling bright light that streaked across their sky and slammed down beyond the horizon was a threat, then they'd let Kirby or one of his friends sort it out. They had better things to do, like nap, or snack.

The only one who witnessed it and decided to bother with it was a young Waddle Dee, wearing a sailor's cap. He stood on the prow of the great mechanical warship he called home, which was moored at his vast docking facilities on the shores of Orange Ocean. He'd been enjoying the quiet day, until the quiet was rudely interrupted by the crystal as it shrieked through the atmosphere and pulverized the lovely forest view. Sailor Dee had no idea what the strange light had been, but he wasn't about to let it ruin the first peaceful afternoon since the alien invaders had shot down his home. Someone had to do something about it. And it certainly wasn't going to be him.

He let out a squeak of alarm. “Meta Knight!” he wailed, and took off running down the Halberd to alert his commanding officer. “Sir Meta Knight! SIR META KNIGHT!!”

A squat knight, covered from tip to toe in a horned, skull-shaped mask, poked his head out of a hatch in the hull.

“What's going on?” he asked drowsily.

“You seriously didn't hear that?!” Sailor Dee asked, pointing toward the horizon. The squat knight turned to look, but saw nothing. He cast Sailor Dee an incredulous look.

“Hear what?” a low voice demanded sharply to the sound of flapping wings, as suddenly Meta Knight landed in their midst, pronged sword at the ready.

“My lord! Something just fell out of the sky!” Sailor Dee exclaimed, flailing his stubby little arms in excitement. “It was big and bright, and it was moving really quickly and then it just crashed, and _oh_ _my gosh_ it was _loud_ and-!”

Meta Knight held up a stubby hand. Sailor Dee, who was on the verge of hyperventilating, stopped talking and took a deep breath.

“-hit Green Greens, probably can't miss it.” the little puff concluded.

Meta Knight nodded, inasmuch as puffballs can nod. He turned to his helmeted subordinate. “Axe Knight, Waddle Dee.” he said. “Rouse the crew, put everyone on alert. Get all of the Halberd's systems on standby with all speed. I will be back as soon as possible.”

“Yes _sir_!”

“Yessir!”

 

True to Sailor Dee's word, it did not take the blue swordsman very long to find the source of his subordinate's consternation. Meta Knight assumed that the unidentified crashing object was another piece of debris from Kirby's deep space battle with the Access Arc- or Star Dream, or whatever it was called- as several of those that had hurtled down to Pop Star had been found already. Looking around at the toppled trees, it galled him to think that even after the invasion had been repelled, Haltmann Works was still damaging his home. At least when _he'd_ invaded Dreamland he'd had the decency to offer the people a chance to surrender before resorting to force.

Well. That's what he'd intended to do. He'd barely even been into the threatening stage before Kirby had gotten in his way. Still, it wasn't like he'd wreaked wholesale devastation or tried to annihilate the planet's people or anything. He'd wanted what was best for the Dreamlanders; Haltmann wanted what was best for Haltmann. Their invasions had been _completely_ different. Totally. Really.

Anyway.

Once he'd gotten over his initial flash of anger- and his bout of internal monologuing- he realized that something was distinctly off. The chunks of blue crystal littering the ground were a bit of a giveaway.

Meta Knight frowned. He recognized that substance. He'd seen it thrice before. And each and every time, another knight- the greatest in the galaxy- had been there as well.

Except, it seemed, this time.

The blue swordsman spread his wings and flew off, heading back to his ship with all speed. Somehow, the infamous warrior had gotten loose, and was at large in Dreamland. Someone had to do something about it, and it was going to be him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we go! Don't worry, there's going to be more chapters, but for some reason at the moment the website isn't giving me the option to show that there's more to come.  
> Galacta Knight's been one of my favorite Kirby characters since he made his debut back in Super Star Ultra, and I've been curious about his story for just as long. After finishing Robobot I finally got the inspiration to tell a part of it myself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hero of Dreamland wishes that maybe for once Dreamland could just stay saved, while Galacta Knight tries to figure out where the heck he is.

Kirby was awakened that early afternoon from a pleasant dream about cake and tomatoes and absolutely no robots, by the sound of engines whirring and turbines churning. As after-lunch naps went, it had been a pretty good one.

_Are you kidding me?_ he thought drowsily (although, considering the depth of the sleep he had just been disturbed from, that is more like a coherent reinterpretation of what his tired mind actually came up with).

The pink puffball supposed he'd have to see what was going on. It was a relief to have the crisis over with and he wanted to be certain there wasn't another one lurking out side his door so soon after the last one. He fumbled with his sheets and then rolled out of bed, plopping onto the floor beside his nightcap. If his floor had been any comfier, he might have stayed there a little longer, but alas, it was made of wood. Kirby stood up, shook himself in an effort to wake up a little more, and toddled over to his front door to see what all the mechanical fuss was about.

He pushed it open, and saw that a great shadow had fallen over his house and the land around it. He sighed. Not again.

Before he could get a snack to prepare him for what was looking to be another investigation into weirdness, Meta Knight flew into view and landed in front of him. Kirby looked up. The Halberd was parked directly above his house, blocking the early afternoon sun. What on Pop Star was Meta Knight visiting for?

“Meta Knight? What's going on?” Kirby asked (again, this is a highly polished version of his actual drowsy yattering). Hopefully, his part-time enemy, part-time friend just wanted to stop by and chat, or have a snack, or something.

“Kirby! Dreamland is in danger!” Meta Knight said.

“…again?” Kirby mumbled. Already? Hadn't they just finished cleaning up after the last big problem?

“Do you recall when, during our visit to Halcandra, we did battle with a lance-wielding knight?” the swordsman asked.

Kirby narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. Lance? He remembered fighting an awful lot of swordsmen- Gigant Edge, Meta Knight, Dark Matter, Dark Meta Knight, Queen Sectonia, Mecha Knight- but no lance… oh, wait, _right_. There'd been that other puffball, hadn't there? Halcandra, yeah, that was the place. What was with that guy, anyway?

“Uh… yeah.” Kirby replied at last.

“I have good reason to believe that he is here on Pop Star.” Meta Knight said somberly. “NOVA itself said that this knight is the strongest warrior in the galaxy, so powerful that he was sealed away for fear of him. The last few times I've encountered him, he's always engaged me in combat. I do not know how he got here, or why he came, but I am sure he must be found and defeated as swiftly as possible.”

Kirby blinked slowly, trying to process what Meta Knight had said. He'd understood, at best, perhaps every other word. What other times? Had Kirby been there, or was Meta Knight talking about stuff he hadn't heard about? What was going on?

“I have a plan to find and defeat this other knight, and your assistance would be extremely useful. I'm afraid Dreamland needs you again, Kirby.” Meta Knight concluded.

The pink puffball smothered a disappointed sigh with a yawn. It was too early in the afternoon for this.

“Can I get a snack first?”

 

Galacta Knight hovered warily through the forest, trying to lay low until he figured out what to do. He still wasn't quite sure what planet he was on. He'd flown to quite a few of them back in the day, before he'd… made his mistakes. Once, he would have said that he knew them all pretty well, but he had no idea how many years he'd spent crammed inside of a crystal. It must have been a very long time, he figured, long enough for him to be all but forgotten; otherwise, he felt pretty sure that there was no way the blue knight would have dared to free him, even if only to challenge him. Surely, everything had changed in one way or another.

The lush woodland began to thin, and beyond the sea of bright green trees was a literal sea, whose gently rippling waters seemed to take on an orange cast as they glittered in the sunlight. He considered this as he took in the scenery, drifting down the coast Shiver Star's equatorial regions had a few sparse areas of green struggling to hold on, and its inhabitants had been getting up to some pretty weird stuff; maybe they'd stained the ocean, then somehow they'd… somehow the trees had… maybe… no, it probably wasn't Shiver Star. Did any parts of Aqua Star or… whatsisname, Watery Star? Aquarius? it was one of Pop Star's satellites… have deciduous forest? Come to think of it, Pop Star had a lot of different environments…

The soft sounds of slow steps interrupted his guesswork, and Galacta Knight was on the alert in a trice in spite of his tiredness. With no more than a faint _woosh_ of air from his wings, he darted behind a tall, sturdy tree. He heard a grumbling voice coming from the same direction as the quiet footsteps, somewhere round a bend in the path, and he strained to listen.

“…hope we don't have another one of _those_ for a while.” a voice grumbled from somewhere down the path.

“Mm-hmm.” another voice answered.

“I really think I've hit my limit for this.” the first voice said. Her voice carried a tone of great aggravation.

“Mmm.” the second voice agreed.

“Honestly, that business with the Dreamstalk was bad enough. But an invasion of alien robots? That was just ludicrous!” the first voice went on. The two voices were getting louder; any moment now, and Galacta Knight would be able to see who it was.

“Mm-hmm!”

“At least most of the mechanization's gone.” the first voice mused. She paused for a moment. “And I think Whispy's finally back to normal, poor thing. What makes these crazy folks think they can just waltz in and do whatever they please with our planet is completely beyond me. Can't they go bother their own world, and leave Pop Star alone?”

_At least I know where I am now_ , Galacta Knight thought as he lurked behind the tree. He still didn't know where the other knight was, or if anyone else might recognize him, or what he should do next, but it was a start.

A Waddle Doo and a Sir Kibble strolled around the bend and into view.

“Hmm.” Sir Kibble said.

“Good thing we've got Kirby to sort all this out for us. I don't know what we'd do without him.” Waddle Doo said. She shrugged carelessly, inasmuch as a round puffball without proper shoulders can shrug. “Probably nothing.”

“Eh…” Sir Kibble said. Then he added, “There's also Meta Knight.”

“Hrrmph.” was Waddle Doo's only response.

“What? He kicked out the last of the invaders.”

“Hrrmph!” Waddle Doo said again. “He's hardly any better. Honestly, the way people talk about him lately, you'd think he was some kind of great hero! Am I the only one who remembers the time _he_ tried to invade Dreamland? With a _mechanical_ warship of his own, I might add? When it comes to great names in Dreamland, King Dedede's got him beat!”

“Mmm…” Sir Kibble said in a grumpy tone. “Aren't you forgetting the time he stole everyone's food?”

“That was ages ago.” Waddle Doo said dismissively. “Water under the bridge. He's gotten much better at ruling since then. He doesn't do anything like that anymore. He just sits up at his castle and acts regal, and occasionally beats up people who disturb the peace. Dedede's a proper king.”

Sir Kibble sighed exasperatedly.

As the pair walked out of sight, Galacta Knight pondered what he'd just heard. Mechanical invaders? Folk from Shiver Star, perhaps? Some of its people had produced very formidable technological terrors in his time; there was one up-and-coming family business for instance, Haltmann Robotics, that had designed some powerful security mechas. <idea that the HR in HR-H stands for Haltmann Robotics, an older incarnation of the modern Haltmann company>

At least the galaxy hadn't become boring while he was away, if Pop Star had suffered not one, but several invasions in its present inhabitants' lifetimes. And he had a candidate for the other knight now, this “Meta Knight”. While there were likely many other knights, someone who could conduct a large-scale invasion and then almost single-handedly stomp out another sounded a likely candidate for the warrior who had fought Galacta Knight. And the others the passersby had mentioned, Kirby and King Dedede, they could be those who fought with “Meta Knight” during Galacta Knight's second duel with the swordsman.

And if all three were in the area…

Laying low was probably going to be his best bet for a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My weekend came down with a sudden case of business, so the update had to be delayed. Hopefully this won't be a recurring event.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight tries to get Kirby and King Dedede to help him find and stop Galacta Knight, but both of them would rather nap.

The battleship Halberd was a buzzing hive of activity as it soared past Orange Ocean. All of Meta Knight's troops were mobilized and alert; mechanics tended to the great machine's engines and weaponry, soldiers and the elite Meta-Knightmares prepared for battle, and sentries watched the seas and skies for any sign of something out of the ordinary.

In the control room of the vessel were Meta Knight and Kirby, along with a few of Meta Knight's crew; crusty old Captain Vul manned the steering wheel, and Sailor Dee stood by to assist in case anyone needed something.

“So, where are we going?” Kirby asked, smothering a yawn.

“Jam Jungle. One of the more distant regions of Pop Star.” Captain Vul snapped. Then, under his breath he added “You'd know that already if you were paying attention.”

Meta Knight sighed long-sufferingly as Kirby awkwardly shuffled his feet, staring intently at the floor. He shook his head (well, all of him really, seeing as puffballs are little else but head) slowly.

“We have no idea where the warrior NOVA summoned is right now.” he explained. “He could be anywhere on the planet for all we know. Therefore, I've decided that King Dedede will scour Dreamland for the knight, while you will search for him in the areas farthest from the kingdom. I and my crew can cover more land than either of you two could with the Halberd, so we're going to watch the lands in between.”

Kirby nodded uncertainly as he processed this.

“I don't know how long this search will take.” Meta Knight said solemnly. Kirby made a face. “But we must work as quickly and carefully as possible. However, there is some time before we drop you off.”

_Oh, nice, I can watch the view go by_. thought Kirby. _Maybe take a quick catnap. Mmm, nap…_

“We should make the best use of this time possible.” Meta Knight went on. Kirby didn't like where this was going. “Therefore, I will explain to you everything I know about this warrior, little though that may be.”

Kirby wearily closed his eyes, then hastily opened them again before someone could accuse him of falling asleep or not taking things seriously.

“I first encountered him when I sought out Galactic NOVA with the intention of challenging the strongest warrior in the galaxy. Had I known that this warrior would keep appearing to fight me after our duel was over, I... may have acted otherwise.” the swordsman began.

_In other words, oops_. Kirby thought. He suppressed a giggle at his internal jest and realized he'd missed some of what Meta Knight was saying. Oops.

“-in an explosion. I had no reason not to believe that I had seen the last of this other knight. But then, two years ago, he appeared again on Halcandra- this was when you also encountered him, Kirby-”

Kirby nodded in what he hoped was a serious manner. He remembered that fight. The stranger'd put up a good fight, even though he'd been outmatched four to one. It was impressive, frankly. It had also been a bit of a relief to know that at least that time, the fate of a world wasn't at risk if Kirby couldn't defeat the super-powerful warrior. Still kinda annoying, but not as harrowing as fighting, say, Magolor.

Wait, what was Meta Knight saying now? He was pacing now back and forth now, gesturing with one hand as he spoke. Oh, if only Kirby'd had a few more minutes to sleep in…

“-for his power was too great. It is only now, having fought him for a third time, that I begin to understand what NOVA meant by this. I have reason to believe that he-”

Well, Kirby got the gist of it at least: Really strong warrior loose on Pop Star, might be attacking people, needs to be stopped. He'd been on so many adventures Kirby figured he could trust his instincts to fill in the rest when he got there.

“-multiple planets, if Star Dream is to be believed. And I do not know how he ended up on Pop Star, but the traces I found were unmistakable. What's worse, I found that in my third battle against the knight he executed some techniques which he had never used before, and-”

“We're here.” Captain Vul announced.

Meta Knight paused mid-pace, and turned to look at the helmsman. “Already? Hmm. Impressive work, Captain. Well, Kirby, good luck. Now get going! There's a Warp Star in the hanger if you want to get down more quickly.”

 

King Dedede heaved an exasperated sigh as he waited for Meta Knight to stop talking at him. He slouched on his fancy golden throne in his grand Castle Dedede atop the peak of Mount Dedede, and until his old friend-slash-enemy had shown up he'd been enjoying a very nice day full of nothing. Reconstruction of his extravagant palace had just been completed (at long last!), and everyone was quite pleased that they were finally able to stop working and go back to lazing about. When Dedede wasn't bossing them about, that was.

But apparently it wasn't meant to be. Only a few weeks after the Haltmann invasion had been halted, and now Meta Knight was bursting in and claiming that Pop Star was facing yet another threat. Couldn't at least a month have gone by? Or couldn't they at least wait for bad things to actually start happening before running off into the blue and doing other things that required effort?

“…have already sent Kirby out to Jam Jungle to start searching. I figured it'd be best if you put your forces on alert to keep watch over Dreamland itself.” Meta Knight said, wrapping up at last. Off to one side, a Mace Knight and an Axe Knight chatted casually with some spear-wielding Waddle Dees. King Dedede glared at them; who said they could take a break? When they noticed the Waddle Dees hastily fell back into their positions along the red carpet that ran from the palace entrance to the throne, while Meta Knight's soldiers snapped back to attention beside their commander.

“I don't see why I have to be _that_ vigilant, Meta Knight.” King Dedede said with a frown. “Seriously, think about it. Every time you've met this guy in the past, he's challenged _you_. Even on Halcandra he went after you first, if I remember right. Which I do. It's not gonna be that hard to find him. Just wait a few days and he'll find you down and you can beat the daylights out of each other again. In the meantime, I don't see why I'd have to go to all that effort.”

Meta Knight rolled his eyes and clenched his stubby fists. “Seriously?!” the swordsman groaned. “Do you not get what he's capable of? When NOVA first summoned him, he told me that the knight was sealed away 'because his power was too great', and that was sinister enough. When Star Dream summoned him, he told me he might 'destroy a _planet or two_ '. Do you really want to wait until he starts to rampage across Pop Star to do something about this problem?”

The penguin let out an annoyed huff. “ _Fiiiine_.” Dedede grumbled. “I'll… do something. But only after a day's up. If he hasn't tried to knock the stuffing out of you by then I guess it'll be worth looking into. That good enough for you?”

Meta Knight exhaled sharply. “Yes. Fine. That'll be fine.” he said.

He turned sharply, his cape twirling dramatically as he wrapped it around himself. Then he strode away, followed closely by Mace Knight and Axe Knight, who turned to hastily wave good-bye to the Waddle Dees.

King Dedede hmm'd thoughtfully. Much as he was loath to admit it, he was intrigued. There was something more to this situation, or so his instincts told him. That was how it'd been with the Dreamstalk disaster, anyway. He shuddered at the memory.

They'd thought at first that the Floralian invasion was solely due to Queen Sectonia's tyrannical whims (he could relate), and that by defeating her they'd taken care of the problem. It wasn't until after talking with Taranza, and the sorcerer had started going on and on and on about how his queen had been very kind before her vanity had consumed her, that Dedede had started thinking maybe there was something even worse at work up in the sky kingdom. After all, a few years before that, Meta Knight and then Kirby had apparently had some adventure with a cursed mirror up in Dreamland's skies…

So why waste time and energy hunting down a short-term solution, when you could get to the bottom of things and settle them once and for all? You'd save yourself a lot of effort in the long run.

Why _was_ this other knight continually targeting Meta Knight? Even Meta Knight didn't seem to know, and it seemed to Dedede that they'd need more information in hand if they were going to sort this out properly (no need to repeat the shortcake fiasco). There was one person- or entity- who might know, but…

Eh. Dedede slouched back in his throne. He'd let Meta Knight do his thing for a day before he started doing anything himself. If Meta Knight found the villain, problem solved, if he didn't, then King Dedede would take matters into his own flippers and do things his way.

He gestured imperiously to some of the Waddle Dee servants attending him. “Get me a Maxim Tomato, I'm hungry.” he said. “And make it quick!”

Besides, if things were about to go downhill again, better to make the most of a relaxing day while it lasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get Meta Knight's and King Dedede's personalities just right is one of the biggest challenges in writing this. How can I write Meta Knight being heroic, while still staying true to the well-intentioned, militaristic extremist of Revenge of Meta Knight? Or make King Dedede heroic while keeping him a lazy glutton? Hopefully they're making sense here.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bandana Dee learns first-hand about Dreamland's rogue knight problem.

Small, colorful butterflies flapped aimlessly by on a cool afternoon breeze that rustled the grasses and trees of Prism Plains. One of them, as it lazily fluttered about, came to land on the tip of a short spear, held in the hand of a round brown fellow in a blue bandana who was strolling through the fields. The bandana-wearing Waddle Dee paused when he saw the fluttering butterfly, and would've smiled happily at it, if he had a mouth to smile with. But he hadn't, so he didn't, but the sentiment was there.

A return to normality had meant a return to daily patrolling for Bandana Dee, but he didn't mind much. Someone had to keep an eye out for threats around his Great King's castle, after all. And he certainly had had a lot of chances to show off how qualified he was for that position during the past two- no, three- crises. Well, maybe four, if you counted that business with Dark Matter and the crystal shards years ago.

Bandana Dee ambled on, taking in the once-again fresh air cleaned of smog, watching once-again white clouds free of smoke drift by, and admiring the once-again untainted scenery devoid of any unwanted machinery. It was a very enjoyable day, for Dreamland was at peace once more.

That was not to say he was slacking off on the job, or taking an unnecessary break. He prided himself in being one of his Great King's most loyal and hardworking servants. Some Waddle Dees he could mention would take almost any excuse to dodge their duties and take a random break (but of course he wouldn't mention them, that would just be rude). Not Bandana Dee.

He'd never take a snack break, not so early into his shift. He had that scheduled for about halfway through, when he'd circled halfway around Mount Dedede and could see the back of Castle Dedede. Then he'd stop a few moments to enjoy a cherry or two.

After a few more minutes of patrolling, he picked out a nice, shady spot under a tree and settled down to snack as the wind died down- keeping a weather eye out for anything unusual, of course. He'd just polished off his first cherry- somehow, without a mouth- it is best not to question these things- and was about to move onto the second one when he heard a soft rustle in the leaves behind him.

Bandana Dee quickly hopped to his feet, scarfed down the second cherry and stood with his spear poised to strike. Again the leaves whispered senselessly, and the little scout caught sight of a flash of white. Cautious, he took a step back, and then an armor-clad warrior emerged from the trees. Every beat of his feathered wings stirred their spindly branches.

The stranger held a stout shield in one hand, and a hefty lance in the other. Pointed, golden horns curved above his head, and red eyes gleamed from behind his mask. Bandana Dee's eyes widened in surprise and not a little bit of fear. He recognized this puffball!

“Who are you?!” he demanded, putting a bit of extra force into his voice to cover up his shaking. It had taken the combined efforts of Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee to take the aggressive warrior, after a long, pitched battle. And now Waddle Dee was alone with him, with no one who might be able to help him in sight. “This is Dreamland, realm of the G-great King Dedede! S-state your business!”

 

So much for laying low. He'd thought that by constantly going on the move from one place to another, sticking to the denser parts of forests and avoiding paths, he might escape being noticed. It had seemed like a solid plan at the time, but… evidently his thoughts were more sluggish than he'd realized.

For a moment Galacta Knight just stared in tired surprise at the small soldier before him. He had no intention of explaining himself to the Waddle Dee, especially since he seemed to recognize this one. Unless he was much mistaken the soldier was of the blue swordsman's- Meta Knight's- own companions, and going off the way the spear-wielder had gone stock-still he certainly recognized Galacta Knight.

Galacta Knight's drowsy brain half-heartedly tried to come up with some sort of response, while the tense soldier kept his spear fixed on him. A non-specific excuse to suddenly turn heel and head somewhere else entirely? He couldn't think of one. Did he dare attack the soldier, and try to flee in the ensuing confusion?

Behind his mask he frowned. No, his usual method of dealing with problems wouldn't be much help here. If Meta Knight hadn't already been made aware of Galacta Knight's presence, then beating up one of his companions would. Like as not attacking the soldier would bring both Meta Knight and King Dee… dee… Dede? Dedede?… down on his head, maybe that Kirby character as well.

Besides, the soldier was just doing his job, and he'd only asked a question. Striking a frightened person like that didn't seem very appealing. Fighting in general didn't seem that appealing, come to think of it. From his perspective he'd been fighting non-stop for ages before finally finding himself free of crystal and utterly, blissfully alone. It would be a shame to go back to that now.

Another moment of nothing dragged by as the nervous stare-off persisted. Finally, having come up short on other options, Galacta Knight decided to forgo stating his business or even giving an excuse, turned heel, and suddenly flew away in the direction he'd came. If he was going to have a chance of avoiding Meta Knight- and his prison- he would have to go somewhere far from his stomping grounds in Dreamland. At least Pop Star was a pretty diverse planet; even having not been there for what may have been centuries, Galacta Knight trusted that there was bound to be some place out in its most distant lands that could hide him.

 

Bandana Dee startled as the strange trespasser suddenly moved. He drew back his spear, ready to put a lot of force behind a stab if he had to, when he realized that the knight was flying _away_ from him and not _to_ _ward_ him as he'd thought. What was all that about?

He had to alert his king that the warrior was in the area. Although, Bandana Dee wouldn't be surprised if he found out that King Dedede already knew of the warrior's presence- he was, after all, very great. Without a second thought Bandana Dee hustled off (before the warrior could change his mind and come back), running back to Castle Dedede as fast as his stubby little feet could carry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm still gonna say that the official update schedule is every Friday, if only so that I won't forget to post any later than Saturdays. Homework and Inktober are making it hard to get writing done, but I do have two more buffer chapters and I will get more done this weekend if I can.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Halberd search for the rogue knight, while Meta Knight considers a new approach.

The gleaming disc of the sun sank quickly beyond a horizon swimming in a sea of green trees that swayed in the breeze far below the warship _Halberd_. Its crew had been searching for hours for any trace of the greatest knight in the galaxy, and during that search they'd been running short on luck. Contrary to their expectations of a discovering him in the middle of horrible rampage across the land, their quarry had given them not even the faintest of trails to find and follow. Except for the clearing where he'd apparently crashed into Pop Star, they'd found nothing.

Up on the top deck of the mighty warship stood scouts and soldiers, watching the land below- Cookie Country, currently- dutifully in spite of their discouraging start. On the starboard side, taking a quick break to enjoy the sunset, were a Trident Knight, a Javelin Knight, and a Waddle Dee in a sailor's hat (who was briefly absent from his usual place on the bridge to help with the search).

“Where can he be?” Trident Knight muttered under her breath as she scanned the horizon. Sailor Dee turned to face her. “It's like he's hiding from us.” 

Sailor Dee cocked his head (that is to say, all of him) inquisitively. “Well… yes?” he said tentatively.

Trident Knight gave him a withering look from behind her visor. “I mean of course he's hiding from us, but I mean he's hiding from us _deliberately_. Like he knew that we'd try to find him, stop him.”

Dee blinked, and looked thoughtfully off to one side. Javelin Knight hmm'd.

“We know he doesn't have peaceful intentions. Lord Meta Knight's encounters with him and NOVA in the past make that clear.” he intoned. “In which case one must wonder what he's planning.”

The trio became quiet for a moment as each fell into their own thoughts.

“We'd better stop him before he can put anything into motion.” Trident Knight growled. “Lord Meta Knight said he made an _impact crater_ in Green Greens. And that was just his arrival!”

“Imagine what he'd do if he really got going.” Javelin Knight said grimly. Trident Knight nodded in agreement.

Sailor Dee held his pudgy hands up to his face fearfully, and glanced behind him. He knew the importance of being thorough, but could a place so seemingly innocent as Cookie Country really be where such a terrible warrior was lurking? If it was, then there really wasn't anywhere that could be trusted, or so it seemed to him. These were dark days indeed.

“Did he really make an impact crater just by landing?” he asked, equally parts awed and frightened.

Trident Knight nodded solemnly. “Lord Meta Knight described finding a crater filled with downed trees and shattered blue crystal. Sounds like an impact crater to me.”

Dee's eyes widened. “Oh my gosh!” he said softly. Then, he frowned in confusion. “Wait, where'd the blue crystal come from?”

“Dunno.” Javelin Knight said. “Another Javelin Knight said she heard from Axe Knight- you both know him, the one on the bridge- that when Lord Meta Knight fought this warrior last, he was able to tear a rift in space and time. Anything could come out of that, I guess. And who knows what else he could be capable of?”

They lapsed back into silent, suspicious musing, keeping an eye out for their target all the while. Finally, when the last ray of Pop Star's sun was swallowed up by the horizon, a new cohort of soldiers came up from belowdecks to carry on the watch through the still night.

 

When the sun reappeared again the following morning, ready to bathe Pop Star in its cheerful light again, there was still no sign of the warrior on the loose. The bleary-eyed watchers of the night shift wearily left their posts and headed off to the _Halberd_ 's lower decks to sleep, as the morning shift dutifully squared their shoulders and prepared for a long day of looking. At the very moment the night shift gave their report of nothing, a trio of loyal Birdons flew off to send word to King Dedede with all speed. The sooner he got the news and made good on his promise, the better.

On the bridge was assembled Meta Knight's most loyal and trusted followers (and also the helmsman and his helpers). Axe Knight, Mace Knight, Trident Knight, and Javelin Knight- the original bearers of their titles- stood waiting out of the helm crew's way, watching out the wide front windows in case they could spot anything, determined not to let their vigilance lapse for a moment, even when called to a meeting by their leader. Captain Vul kept their circling course steady, attended by Sailor Dee, ready to pull the alarm to alert the entire ship should they spot their foe. A Sword Knight and a Blade Knight, the first two to join the _Halberd_ 's crew, stood outside by the doors to intercept messengers, or announce Meta Knight's arrival. Whenever that was going to be.

“We're just outta Cookie Country.” Captain Vul announced, as the cheery woodland thinned beneath them and the rolling hills of Yogurt Yard appeared in the shortening distance.

“Wait, we haven't gotten farther than that? We were flying all day and all night.” Mace Knight noted.

The avian captain growled at him. Mace Knight jumped.

“You think covering all of the ground on all of Pop Star is as easy as taking a stroll through Green Greens?” Captain Vul said. “If we want to be thorough we have to be careful! And that means taking our time!”

Suddenly, the doors to the bridge swung inwards, held open by Sword Knight and Blade Knight. “Lord Meta Knight on bridge!” Blade Knight announced, as her superior officer strode by (inasmuch as a puffball with stubby feet can stride).

 

Everyone assembled saluted respectfully (save Captain Vul, who was a little busy at the moment) as the swordsman entered the room.

He'd been up for most of the night, busying about all over the Halberd. Among other things, Meta Knight had watched impatiently for his rival from various vantage points across the ship, made rounds across the decks to make sure everyone was doing the work that needed to be done, and had listened to his subordinates give status reports that invariably had no news.

And, after giving the thoughts that had pestered him out of sleeping a proper hearing, come to a very important decision. He had not made this decision lightly, for by its very nature this decision was a heavy one. It would make for a major change in plans, but once the idea that gave rise to it had crossed his mind it refused to go away until he'd resolved to follow it through to its logical conclusion.

The idea was this: This knight is your responsibility. Your mistake let him break loose from the forces that held him, and it's up to you to make sure he goes back where he belongs.

It was a stark and relentless idea, but Meta Knight himself was a stark and relentless person.

“Lord Meta Knight! The Birdons just left a few minutes ago. They should make it to Castle Dedede in about an hour!” Sailor Dee reported, happy as always to be doing something useful.

Meta Knight gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

“Sir! What new orders do you have for us?” Axe Knight asked.

“Indeed.” Meta Knight began. “This planet-wide search is necessary, but is not the most direct approach we can take.”

Trident Knight cocked her head slightly. “What do you propose we do, sir?” she said.

“It is because of my wish that this warrior is free to do whatever he pleases to Pop Star.” Meta Knight said. “Therefore, I have decided that the best way to deal with this warrior permanently is to summon NOVA once more… and ask that my wish be undone.”

Sailor Dee's eyes went wide as Maxim Tomatoes, as they were wont to do when he was surprised. “You're going back into space, sir?” he asked. He remembered the last time his commander had gone beyond Pop Star, and the idea of braving the depths of space and venturing to foreign stars amazed him still just as much as it had then.

“Do you require us to accompany you, sir?” Trident Knight asked, striking the floor with the base of her trident eagerly.

Meta Knight nodded. “I propose that we split the planets between us. I will find the wishing stars of Hotbeat, Cavios, and Mecheye, while the four of you will handle Floria, Aquarius, and Sky High. We'll convene on Halfmoon. Captain Vul, you will continue to steer the Halberd along its present course. We cannot afford to let our vigilance lapse. If you find the knight before I return, alert King Dedede.” He sighed. “Kirby's too far to get a message to, but I expect he'll find a way to get involved if the knight does show up.”

“Yes, sir!” the four Meta-Knights (and Captain Vul) said in unison.

“Excellent. I suggest the four of you take a Warp Star from the hold; I will guide you to Floria before heading to Hotbeat.” Meta Knight said. “There were Warp Stars scattered across the planets last time, and I don't see why that should be any different this time. Now-”

“Um, sir?” Sailor Dee said (er, squeaked).

For a moment, silence held the floor on the bridge of the _Halberd_. Eyes were universally wide in stunned surprise and fixed on Sailor Dee. As the reign of silence continued and it became apparent that no one else was going to say anything, Sailor Dee self-consciously cleared his throat and said,

“Can I come, too?”

“What?” said Mace Knight, beating everyone else in the room to the punch.

A bead of sweat trickled down Sailor Dee's forehead. “I'll be useful! Honestly! I can bring a bunch of tomatoes or the wishing stars or something for you, a-and uh… throw rocks at enemies! I promise I'll be helpful Lord Meta Knight!”

Meta Knight regarded the little Waddle Dee. What harm could come of it, really? He'd blazed through the seven stars the last time he'd flown beyond Pop Star's sky, after all. If he had to go a bit slower to keep Sailor Dee in line for only three planets, he didn't foresee it causing a huge delay; excitable though Sailor Dee may be, Meta Knight knew he was still loyal and disciplined.

“Very well.” he said at last. “It'd be good for you to get experience off of this ship at one time or another. It may as well be now.”

Sailor Dee barely repressed a squeal of delight.

They were going into space!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Meta-Knight(mare)s and Sailor Dee deserve more love.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the heart of Jam Jungle, Galacta Knight crosses paths with another of Dreamland's famous heroes.

Normally, getting from one side of a planet to the other would have taken Galacta Knight only a few minutes, even on a comparatively large world like Pop Star. It would only be a simple matter of launching himself up into the lofty vault of the frigid skies and soaring on the swift winds of the stratosphere until he was the perfect distance from his destination at which he could hit the ground without wrecking too much. Or the perfect distance for hitting the ground and wrecking just about everything in the process (it all depended on the mood he was in, and what he was aiming for).

But he'd had to forgo his usual method and the fun that came with it, seeing as he was trying to remain inconspicuous and whatnot. So instead, he'd taken it slow and steady, keeping to the thickest undergrowth wherever he could and avoiding everyone. It had taken him the rest of the previous day's afternoon and long sluggish bout of drifting through the entire night to get as far as he was now, which was… he wasn't actually sure how far he'd gotten. Somehow, the fact that he was all but dead on his feet still hadn't occurred to him, but as his tiredness was making it hard for him to think straight perhaps this can be forgiven.

But he couldn't afford to stop, not until he found a place isolated or at least hidden enough that he could trust that no one would disturb him if he stayed there a while.

He was at that moment slogging it through what he thought of in his weary mind as a “dense, muggy, sort of jungle-y type place,” since it was indeed very humid and full of big green trees. It had seemed a very promising jungle-y type place when he'd first stumbled upon it, since jungles were in his experience usually either so dense and dark that no one would notice him, or so full of bizarre ruins that no one would pay him any heed if he stayed in one for a while.

Then he'd found the foundries. The noisy, curiously under-guard foundries (well, to be frank there weren't anywhere near as many guards as he'd expect, but there were enough to be a nuisance). They were throwing a really big wrench into the whole staying-hidden-in-the-jungle thing.

Galacta Knight watched through a thick, vine-laden shrub as pair of guards, a Sir Kibble and a Heavy Knight, walked by in the distance just inside a chain-link fence. They stopped every few fence posts to scan the horizon. Someone really didn't want any just old stranger wandering in off the street- er, shrub. What the heck were they making in there?

He must have spaced out at some point, because the guards were long gone by the time he noticed that someone was hacking through the undergrowth very, _very_ close by, and getting closer by the second.

Before he could react, a pink and green blur burst out from a behind bush, landing nimbly beside him. When the blur stopped moving Galacta Knight could see that it was actually a pink puffball in a green hat, wielding a sword in one nubby hand and a Maxim Tomato in the other.

The puffball's eyes widened when he saw Galacta Knight. Then his eyes narrowed, and he held out his sword, ready to strike.

 

_Oh my stars I found him, I actually found him! …Now what?_

Kirby maintained eye contact with the strongest warrior in the galaxy. Meta Knight said that was something you always wanted to do if you were in a fight, or at least on the verge of being in one. He'd given a perfectly good explanation at the time but right now Kirby thought it just seemed like a formula for a really, really tense staring contest, since the warrior wasn't doing anything.

Wait, no, thought too soon- he was raising his shield defensively, and starting to lift his lance.

“So, uh, why Jam Jungle?” Kirby asked.

“I- _what?_ ” the warrior said in a groggy voice.

Kirby was going to take that as a good sign. He hadn't gotten a monologue about how weak Pop Star's people were, or a bout of evil laughter, or even been attacked.

“Well, Meta Knight said he thought you touched down in Green Greens,” Kirby said. Hopefully, if he kept talking, he could delay the fight; he wasn't looking forward to brawling while trying to keep his tomato intact. “which is kinda far. So… what are you all the way out here?”

It was hard to tell for certain, what with the mask obscuring his face, but Kirby thought that the warrior looked baffled.

“Just… looking around, I guess.” the warrior said after a moment's confusion.

Kirby tilted his head, blinking in surprise. He lowered his sword. “…huh.” he said.

“What?” the warrior asked.

“Just to make things clear, you're not trying to take over Pop Star, or kidnap Dedede, or smash things?” Kirby asked. A suspicious look crawled across his face. “You're not here to steal everyone's food, are you?”

(He _hated_ it when people tried to steal everyone's food. Honestly, was it so hard to ask politely?)

“…why would you think I want to take your food?” the warrior asked, more baffled than ever.

“It wouldn't be the first time.” Kirby said. He sighed sadly. “But if you're not here to attack Dreamland or whatever…”

Kirby trailed off, looking at the warrior expectantly. The larger puffball hurriedly shook his head.

“…then do you want a tomato?” Kirby asked, holding out the Maxim Tomato. “Picking it up seemed like a good idea at the time, but I've got another and it's kinda annoying trying to hold onto it through this jungle.”

 

The state that a computer is in when its screen is displaying a pop-up window named “Loading” with a bar that is taking its sweet time to fill up with blue and locking up every other system is a pretty decent approximation of Galacta Knight's mental processes at that moment. First the other puffball had been about to attack. Then he'd started asking some really weird questions that as far as Galacta Knight could tell came completely out of nowhere. And now, satisfied that Galacta Knight wasn't after his food, the puffball was offering him… food. Clearly, he'd missed some cultural shifts during his years sealed away.

The other puffball waited for him to respond, and Galacta Knight waited for his brain to finish processing the morning's weirdness. He was finally starting to cotton on to how tired he was, and figured his brain's slowness was its way of protesting how long he'd been forcing it to stay awake.

His new acquaintance blinked, and set the tomato down on the ground between them. Then he suddenly puffed up, and spat out a bubble containing another tomato. He popped the bubble and started munching on the second tomato.

Galacta Knight gave up trying to understand anything. He hovered to the tomato, and reached to pick it up, realizing only at the last minute that he was still holding his lance and was about to skewer his snack if he wasn't careful. How long had he been carrying it? He realized he couldn't remember.

Keeping one eye on his small new acquaintance, who was still enjoying his snack, he hesitantly set down his lance. He waited for a second, and when he wasn't attacked he figured it was probably safe to take the tomato.

Still no attacks. The other puffball hardly even seemed to notice that he'd taken it. Perhaps it wasn't a trap after all. Things still seemed pretty weird, but he figured he could get used to it.

Before long, without him even realizing it, he finally relented and fell asleep at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update, I was running out of buffer chapters and had some tests to deal with.
> 
> The soldiers Galacta Knight sees in Jam Jungle are the guards of the Halberd's shipyards, where it was being repaired after Kirby destroyed it in Revenge of Meta Knight and until Meta Knight got it airborne again in Squeak Squad. Now it just serves to produce spare parts, and as of this chapter most of its usual guards are on the Halberd now to help watch for Galacta Knight.  
> If Kirby can bubble food items in the games then I can have him use bubbles for storage in this fic, try and stop me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY! So this is a bit later a return than I'd meant, but at least it's up and running again. Finals failed to kill me and I'm halfway through chapter 10 so On The Loose is in pretty good shape.

Bandana Dee marched purposefully ahead of two other spear-wielding Waddle Dees, as they patrolled the perimeter of Mount Dedede. The former's unexpected encounter with the rogue magenta knight the day before had prompted King Dedede to reluctantly put his forces on high alert. There were more soldiers out on patrol than usual throughout Dreamland, moving in groups of three or four and poking about to see if the knight was hiding anywhere, while Bronto Burts and Birdons and other flying folk got a workout fluttering from here to there carrying reports about how little progress they'd all made.

The mysterious knight had not been found. There had been a few reports from frightened civilians about a winged warrior seen hurrying away from the direction of Mount Dedede, but that had been about the same time as Bandana Dee had seen him. Most of the soldiers believed that the warrior had already left Dreamland for other parts of Pop Star, and were going about their work rather half-heartedly as a result. The patrols' numbers were mostly because hopefully, each one might have a more motivated member who would keep their squadmates on-task, rather than because more soldiers would stand a better chance against their enemy. If a whole army of them couldn't stop Kirby then a handful definitely couldn't stop whoever this was.

As Bandana Dee's patrol made its rounds, one of the bandana-less Waddle Dees suddenly started.

“Look! Look up there!” they shouted, jumping up and down excitedly. Bandana Dee guessed that they were trying to point with their spear, but they were waving it about so wildly in their excitement he could only figure that they _probably_ wanted him to look up.

He and the third Waddle Dee glanced back and forth across the sky until they finally saw what their friend was so worked up about- a pair of Birdons were flying the direction of the castle, low enough to the ground that they noticed the Waddle Dee soldier's wild waving. The scouts flew down to meet their grounded counterparts. As they did, Bandana Dee could just make out Meta Knight's emblem emblazoned on the sides of their aviators' helments.

“New from the Halberd?” he asked as the Birdons landed.

“Uh, sorta.” said one of the Birdons, shifting awkwardly from one foot to another. “The news is that there's no news. We haven't found any sign of the knight at all.”

“Really?” Bandana Dee asked.

“Yep. No sign at all.”

“Weird.” Bandana Dee said.

The Birdons looked taken aback. “How come?” said the other.

“Well, I saw him yesterday-” Bandana Dee began.

“What?!” squawked the Birdons, eyes wider than Dee would've thought possible. “Where?!”

Bandana Dee took a deep breath. “Around here, actually-”

He paused, giving the two scouts a pointed look. When he was sure they weren't going to interrupt him, he went on.

“He just sorta appeared out of nowhere, really. Didn't do anything. Just hovered, watching me, then he turned around and left. We haven't seen any sign of him since.” Bandana Dee explained. “I just figured he was out of Dreamland, so you would've seen him go by.”

“Nope.” the first Birdon said sadly. “We have no idea where he is or what he's up to. We know he has to be up to _something_ but that's about it. We'll tell Lord Meta Knight you saw him, though. Do you know what direction he went in, at least?”

After Bandana Dee pointed them in the direction the knight had gone, the Birdons took off, and the Waddle Dee squad hurried back to Castle Dedede.

 

“ _Yeesh_ , who would've thought that we'd get a lead before Meta Knight?” King Dedede mused when he received news of the lack of news. He reclined on his throne, kicking his feet idly and resting his head in one flipper. His brows were furrowed in thought.

Bandana Dee nodded sagely. “It is very odd, sire.” he said.

“I don't mean just regular 'hey, that's funny' odd, Bandana Dee.” King Dedede said, shaking his head. “Something's really not adding up.”

His loyal retainer blinked. “Really? What do you mean, sire?” he asked, mystified. One always made sure to show one's mystification when asking King Dedede to clarify his wisdom a little more.

“What I mean is that if Meta Knight's right about this guy, he's a berserker who loves destroying as much as I love eating.” King Dedede said. “And after that brawl on Halcandra, I agreed. But now? He's not destroying anything! Heck, he had a good chance to try to bash you yesterday, but he just left without a word. If it'd been any other Waddle Dee soldier I'd say maybe that might make sense, but you? He'd recognize you from that fight, surely.”

Bandana Dee cocked his head thoughtfully. “Huh. So, what you're wondering is, why didn't he want to fight me, if he thinks we're enemies and he loves fighting?”

“Exactly!” King Dedede said triumphantly. “There's something more going on here, I knew it from the start. And unless, I dunno, Kirby happens to run into him and takes care of the problem today, we've…”

He sighed exasperatedly and hauled himself upright. “…we've got to take matters into our own flippers. Hands. Whatever.”

“What should we do, sire?” Bandana Dee asked. Then he added eagerly, “I will gladly follow you wherever you go, Great King!

King Dedede narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute. Did I _order_ you to follow me?” he asked.

“…No, sire.”

“That's what I thought! No one does anything around here without my say-so!” King Dedede proclaimed. He let that sink in for a moment. “Now that that's out of the way, Bandana Dee! I want you to follow me to Galactic NOVA. getting all those wishing stars sounds like a lot of work and I'm _not_ gonna do it by myself.”

“Yes, Great King!” Bandana Dee said enthusiastically. Then, “If I might be so bold as to ask, Great King, how are we going to get to those stars?”

 

About an hour later, King Dedede and his loyal retainer made a rather awkward landing on Floria when their Warp Star crashed. The things could be found in most regions across Pop Star, but most folk didn't have much experience using them, Kirby excepting but King Dedede including.

Little did they know they'd been beaten to that punch.

On the far side of that tiny world, the Meta-Knightmares stood triumphant in the grove of the beaten Twin Woods. With the forest defeated, the path to Floria's own Fountain of Dreams was clear; they could see the wishing star sparkling off in the distance. Elated with their victory and the feeling that finally they were doing something useful, the four soldiers rushed forward to claim it.

“That didn't take too long.” Mace Knight said.

“We've got Lord Meta Knight's training to thank for that.” Javelin Knight said. The knight in mechanical armor spun through the air as she went along, the way all of the members of her order tended to. “Think he's gotten a star by now?”

“Of course!” Mace Knight said. “This is Lord Meta Knight we're talking about, after all. Uh, speaking of stars, who's gonna carry this one?”

Axe Knight looked up at the starry fountain. “I'll do it.” he said. “Mace Knight, give me a boost.”

Trident Knight hung back, cast a quick glance over her shoulder, then looked about the fountain to make sure nothing else was aiming to take their prize- or preparing to ambush them. She took out her cellphone while Axe Knight clambered onto Mace Knight's head.

“Lord Meta Knight, this is Trident Knight reporting-” she said.

“Hey- mind your foot!” Mace Knight grumbled.

“-we have reached the Floria fountain,” Trident Knight went on.

“Well, it's not like you have the flattest helmet in the world.”

“and are in the process of collecting the wishing star. We will move onto Aquarius as soon as possible.”

“Then why didn't you ask Javelin Knight instead?”

“Because you're taller.”

After a brief pause Meta Knight's voice came in over the receiver, distant and slightly garbled. “Good work, Trident Knight.” he said. “Move onto Aquarius as soon as possible. I have the Hotbeat star, en route to Cavios. Out.”

“Got it!” Axe Knight said, then “WHOA!” as he lost his balance and toppled from Mace Knight's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to balance King Dedede's need to actually, well, act like a king and his silly laziness is a bit tricky, but hopefully his character seems right here.
> 
> In other news, the Meta-Knight(mares?) need more love.  
> Chapter 8 up next Friday!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which space is really the place to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2017! What better way to kick off a new year than with some new Kirby?

His wing had fallen asleep.

That was the first thing Galacta Knight noticed when he woke up. The next thing was that he wasn't holding his lance, and then that he was basically out in the open. Where was his lance? What had happened to him?! He quickly jumped to his feet, although he was still a little drowsy.

“Wow, you're awake already?” a close by voice said.

Galacta Knight whirled around. “Who- oh.” It was the bubbly pink puffball he'd met. Right- met friendly stranger, had tomato, apparently fallen asleep. “Light sleeper, I guess.”

The other puffball hopped down from the tree stump he'd been sitting on. “So, um, who are you? I meant to ask you that this morning but then you dozed off. I'm Kirby!”

Behind his mask Galacta Knight's eyes widened. This was Kirby? The Kirby that Pop Star's residents expected to protect them from disasters, even over Meta Knight? The same Kirby who he'd probably _fought_ before? Had he just unwittingly let his guard down around an enemy?! Seeing his lance close by, he picked it up as nonchalantly as possible, just in case.

But Kirby still didn't show any sign of attacking, even as he reclaimed his weapon. The young puffball- for now that Galacta Knight thought about it, Kirby did look fairly young- was just waiting expectantly for an answer.

“I'm called Galacta Knight.” he said reluctantly.

 

Hundreds of leagues beyond Pop Star's surface, on the windy world called Sky High, King Dedede and Bandana Dee had the planet's fountain- and wishing star- in their sights. Their line of sight wasn't entirely clear, what with the giant, spiky, cycloptic cloud that kept blocking their view as it pounded them with driving rain and lightning, but the Kracko-lookalike wasn't worrying them _too_ much. King Dedede had fought the original Kracko before, and with his usual arrogance considered the wishing star as good as his already.

“Hey, Bandana Dee,” King Dedede called, as he ducked out of the way of a torrent of giant raindrops- and a lone Waddle Doo. He smacked the Waddle Doo off the battlefield with his hammer and hurried over to Bandana Dee.

“Yes, sire?” his loyal retainer said, aiming his spear toward the eye of the storm.

“Keep this thing distracted for me. I figure, why wait 'til it's down? I'll just grab the star and we can both get out of here faster.” King Dedede explained, in a low but no less imperious voice.

Then, he turned heel and dashed for the fountain.

“Sire!” Bandana Dee squeaked. “Wait! It's not- I haven't- oh no.”

Space Kracko (as Bandana Dee called it) immediately saw what King Dedede was planning. He frowned- somehow- and in an instant his coat of fluffy white clouds darkened to an angry gray crackling with electricity. The cloud monster turned to pursue the blue penguin, turning its eye out of Bandana Dee's line of sight.

“H-hey! Down here!” Bandana Dee shouted.

He ran after Space Kracko, hurling his javelin with all his might. It struck the cloud monster, who turned to size him up. Space Kracko hesitated. Part of him really, really wanted to make Bandana Dee the target of his anger. That spear'd really hurt. But on the other stormy appendage… the other one was about to get to the fountain.

As he hesitated, another spear flew straight into his eye. Space Kracko bellowed in rage and pain and let loose with a ferocious electrical assault. Lightning bolt after lightning bolt struck indiscriminately across the battlefield, punching straight through unfortunate puffs of cloud and charring everything else. Bandana Dee hurled himself out of the way of one such strike, narrowly avoiding getting fried. A wisp of black smoke curled up from the tip of the knot of his bandana.

“Ha! Got it!” King Dedede proclaimed, his enthusiastic voice carrying across the field of clouds. “Bandana Dee, get over here!”

Space Kracko opened his teary eye a crack and saw the small round soldier scurrying away toward his liegelord, but all the cloud did was squint furiously at Bandana Dee; he was all but spent after that last onslaught. As tears spilled from his tear duct and fell like the raindrops they were, he watched the two intruders go, hanging back- and slowly charging up.

As King Dedede and Waddle Dee struggled to get their Warp Star to do what they wanted, soaring not-all-that-gracefully out of Sky High's atmosphere, a single bolt of lightning lanced the air nearby from the clouds below them up to a cloud above them.

Only a handful of miles away, another Warp Star shrieked across Sky High, bearing four somewhat damp knights in shining purple armor, fresh from Aquarius and feeling very pleased with themselves now that they had not one, but two, wishing stars between them.

“That wasn't _too_ bad.” Javelin Knight said as they crashed their Warp Star on a cloud bank, the last few drops of water shaken from her mechanical armor as she spun. “I mean, water's never been my thing, but we got the star and no one got electrocuted.”

Mace Knight nodded in agreement as he surveyed the area. Left: White fluffy clouds; right: White fluffy clouds; in front of them: White fluffy clouds; above and below them: White fluffy clouds; behind them… huh.

“Hey, what do you guys make of _that_?” he said, pointing at the vast, roiling gray storm off in the distance..

“…guess one of us could still get electrocuted after all.” Trident Knight muttered. “How much do you wanna bet the wishing star's in there somewhere?”

 

“…and the crystal shatters into a thousand pieces on impact and leaves me standing in the middle of nowhere.” Galacta Knight said.

“Wow!” Kirby exclaimed, amazed. A worried expression crossed his face. “You weren't hurt, were you?” he asked.

“No.” Galacta Knight said. “Anyway, I-”

“Wait a sec,” Kirby said, brows furrowed. “I guess that explains how you got to Pop Star, but what were you doing in the crystal in the first place?”

Behind his mask Galacta Knight blinked, wondering not for the last time how long he'd been imprisoned. He'd just assumed that even who-knew-how-many years later, his fate was still known. How else had the blue swordsman- Meta Knight- known to summon him in the first place? Had he just gone to NOVA and demanded a fight?

If Kirby really didn't know anything about him then this was going to get awkward fast.

“I… erm…” Dangit, where was he supposed to begin? “Have you heard of Galactic NOVA?” he asked.

Kirby nodded, smiling. “Yep! I asked for a wish from it once. Er, tried to.” He frowned. “Some jerk named Marx stole it and tried to take over Pop Star, so I had to fight them both-”

Galacta Knight raised an eyebrow. “ _You_ \- you _fought_ Galactic NOVA?” he said incredulously. Fighting a clockwork sun was the kind of crazy thing he would've done back in the day for the heck of it, but- this _child_ had fought one- and won? “How?!”

“I used the wishing stars to fly inside it and broke part of its core. Then, I beat Marx.” Kirby said in his usual cheerful way. Then, in a more concerned tone, he asked, “…What did NOVA do to you?”

If Galacta Knight was something other than a puffball- something with teeth, for instance- he would've bit the inside of his cheek. It was nice to meet someone who was so determined to be friendly, and a part of his brain screamed at him to take advantage of this chance for a totally clean slate and just lie. No one knew what he'd done, and after the punishment he'd been forced to undergo he'd never do it again. Hadn't he been through enough already?

But… even with the imprisonment over, the guilt over his final mistake still lingered. No, the truth- at last part of it- was the way to go here. It wasn't like he had to explain _everything_ ; realizing the full weight of his punishment, being suddenly thrust back into battle the next moment- usually he would've rejoiced at the prospect of such a challenging brawl, but given the circumstances- and then spending who knew how long on the very brink of consciousness, drifting across space from battle to battle, that could all remain in the past where it belonged.

“Back then- and I have no idea how long ago, but definitely a very long time ago- I… did some stupid things. I'll freely admit that I was reckless and arrogant.” Galacta Knight closed his eyes and exhaled. “So I made enemies. They believed that I was too powerful, and posed a risk to… just about everything, I guess. And they weren't completely in the wrong. I gave them plenty of reasons to fear me. So in the end, they sought out the wishing stars in secret, and asked NOVA to seal me away. Forever.” he said with a shudder.

Kirby's eyes widened. Probably out of fear, Galacta Knight mused, now that Kirby knew who he was dealing with; if he had been there, back in the day, his enemies' plan A might've been to just sic Kirby on him.

“Good grief.” Kirby said. “So… how'd you end up on Halcandra?”

“I don't know.” Galacta Knight admitted. “That was the second time I was briefly released. It wasn't something that Meta Knight person did?”

“Nope.” Kirby said.

“Then… I really have no idea how I got there. I thought it was like the first time I got out- Meta Knight wanted a fight.” Galacta Knight said.

Kirby tried to smother a giggle and failed. Galacta Knight frowned.

“What?” he said.

“Meta Knight was just as confused as you were.” Kirby explained, highly amused for whatever reason. “He said that if he'd known that you'd keep showing up out of nowhere to fight him, he might not have summoned you the first time.”

“Wait, really? I only attacked because I thought that he'd summoned me again!” Galacta Knight said exasperatedly; Kirby burst out laughing.

“I wonder… hmm.” Galacta Knight furrowed his brows. Had he been released because he'd just happened to drift close by? The first time he'd fought Meta Knight, he'd been disoriented and stiff from years spent stuck in solid rock. At the last minute, he'd tried to make a break for it, and promptly been re-sealed again. By running, had he kept the fight from truly ending? Then, the next time he happened to be near his challenger, the fight would start again…

Kirby's laughter subsided. “Hey, wait a minute,” he said, dismayed. “is… is the crystal going to come back?”

“It might.” Galacta Knight said. “I don't know how NOVA's wish really works, or if it's even still working, since you-”

“So, you could just be suddenly re-sealed again? At any time? That's not right.” Kirby exclaimed, frowning. “We'll have to go wish for NOVA to let you go, then!”

“Wait, what? I thought you destroyed it?”

“You know, wish to undo the first wish. It takes more than what I did to destroy something like NOVA.” Kirby said certainly. “You have to _completely_ destroy the core to take one down. We just have to get eight wishing stars together. And my own Warp Star worked for a wishing star last time, so that's one down.”

“You- you're really willing to do this…?” Galacta Knight said.

“Of course! So, where do you wanna start?”

 

They decided to start out with Mecheye. The stars had different names back in Galacta Knight's day, apparently, and while most of the old names matched up with the planets Kirby knew the older warrior had never heard of Mecheye before, and wanted to see what the heck it was.

It was sad, thinking about how long ago it must have been that the warrior had last been free. Sure, he'd apparently done something bad, but he clearly regretted whatever it was. No one was perfect; he may have inadvertently saved the world again at the end of it, but Kirby still hadn't lived down the incident with the cake.

“This reminds me of Shiver Star.” Galacta Knight commented. “If the whole planet was nothing but factory.”

“And warmer.” Kirby chimed in.

“That too. You're sure that a place like this can host a wishing star?” Galacta Knight asked incredulously.

“Well, it had one last time I came here.” Kirby said. “You just have to know where to look, I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Assuming the impending start of a new semester doesn't cause another delay, chapter 9 will be up either this Friday or this Saturday.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes search the stars for the way to summon NOVA, and only just begin to realize that maybe something's up...

Meta Knight waited, tense, in a vast subterranean cavern, standing before a gloomy abyss. Before him a massive stone face glared out from the darkness, all but its head and hands lost in the shadows. It swung one of its fists at the knight, who took to the air and swooped out of the way, then turned rushed at it, blade-first, striking the fist at the bottom of the dive. Enraged, the giant shook a stony hand at Meta Knight, sending boulders as large as he was flying across the cavern. Meta Knight ducked and waved through the air, swatting away from him with his sword any that got too close.

When it saw that Meta Knight was yet unscathed the furious giant raised a fist and then made to smash the warrior into the floor with all of its might. As Wham Bam Rock's hand fell Meta Knight leapt up to meet it, raising his sword and driving the point into the stone giant's fist. With a roar of pain Wham Bam Rock jerked its hand back, and finally retreated into the darkness. Time to go.

“Lord Meta Knight! I've got it!” a squeaky voice called out from the far side of the cavern, as Meta Knight strode onwards.

“Good work, soldier.” Meta Knight said. “That's at least four stars. Five, if the others have already bested Sky High.”

Just beyond Wham Bam Rock's chamber in the depths of the planet was a small narrow space, a room whose only ceiling was the distant sky of Cavios. Sailor Waddle Dee waited there, hopping up and down excitedly, holding in one stubby hand a glittering gold star.

“That was amazing, sir!” Waddle Dee said. “That thing was massive!”

“It was a modest challenge.” Meta Knight said. “Now, on to- hm?”

Waddle Dee had suddenly started, jumping nearly a foot in the air in surprise. “Sorry, sir. Message from the Meta-Knightmares, probably.” he said sheepishly as he handed over a cellphone. “…Left it on vibrate.”

“Make your report.” Meta Knight said clearly.

“Lord Meta Knight, something's wrong!” Axe Knight said, voice garbled by the crackling of a shoddy signal. Interplanetary connection was always spotty. “We're on Sky High. Kracko's completely ignoring us, and there's no sign of the wishing star.”

“What?!” Meta Knight demanded. Possibilities flashed through his mind. Best case scenario, they hadn't looked hard enough, or some other bold but innocent soul really, really wanted to get a wish granted. Worst case scenario, the strongest warrior in the galaxy was out there somewhere trying to accomplish who knew what.

“Hrmph. I'll go back to Hotbeat and see if I can't head off whoever took the star. Wait on Sky High for further orders. In the meantime, keep looking for that star.” he ordered. “Out.”

 

It didn't take too long for a certain pair of pink puffballs to tear through Mecheye, at least with all of Galacta Knight's sight-seeing taken into consideration. Mecheye was the only world near Pop Star that he was unfamiliar with, after all, and it was clear from the look of it that technology had advanced considerably since the last time he'd been at large. His main goal was doing whatever it took to ensure that he'd never see that blasted crystal prison again, but his old instincts couldn't help but drive him to inspect these new machines, military or not, to see which ones might make for a good challenge.

Those same instincts roared for him to let go all-out when he and Kirby found their way blocked by a massive mechanical monster (something far more impressive than anything else on the… was it even a planet, or just a giant floating factory?). He had some pretty formidable tricks up his (non-existent) sleeve; the Galacta Knight of a little over a month ago, from his perspective, wouldn't have hesitated to unleash them on this heavy lobster-like thing, even if that would be overkill.

But the events of only a few weeks ago gave him pause. No way was he going to risk a fresh start by pulling spectacular stunts that might cause equally spectacular collateral damage.

Even without doing anything fun, between him and Kirby the war machine went down fast. The younger puffball had ditched his sword for a hammer not too far back; he had a pretty impressive arsenal of abilities.

“Wow!” Kirby said. “That wasn't too bad.”

“Mm. Say, what did you say the planets were called these days?” Galacta Knight said. It was so strange, thinking in terms of 'these days' and 'back in his days'. Made him sound old. He really wasn't _that_ old.

“Floria, Aquarius, Sky High, Hotbeat, Cavios, and Halfmoon.”

Halfmoon. Of course they changed his old haunt's name to _Half_ moon. “Let's go to Halfmoon next.” Galacta Knight said.

“Good idea! It's the closest, and its star's the hardest to find.” Kirby said.

Yep. Sure. Let Kirby think that was why he wanted to go to Halfmoon. Not to see how it was… er, recovering.

 

 _Yeesh. This getting-stuff-done thing is just as tedious as I remember it_ , King Dedede thought. Spelunking through the depths of a planet with breathtaking volcanism issues was not something he'd be doing of his own free will if his kingdom wasn't endangered. Again. Couldn't the bloodthirsty warrior have waited a few weeks, at least, before threatening to go on a rampage or whatever?

“Think we're nearly there, sire?” Bandana Waddle Dee said, with forced chipperness. He wiped his brow with one stubby hand. He was _so_ ready to get out of the heat, but it wouldn't do to complain on and on about his duties to His Majesty.

“We'd better be. This is almost worse than Halcandra.” King Dedede grumbled. “Looks like there's a smaller cave up ahead. The star might be stashed in there.”

The small cave turned out to be a small, brick-lined chamber. Multicolored paint was splattered across the walls, which were also scored by deep scratches and spotted with a few sooty scorch marks. At the far end, part of the wall had been smashed through, revealing an empty alcove behind the broken brickwork.

“Huh.” King Dedede said, lowering his hammer slowly.

“It must've been the same person who snatched the Floria star, sire!” Bandana Dee said. “Probably. Oh, I hope they haven't gotten too far ahead of us!”

Dedede narrowed his eyes and hefted his hammer. “Well, if they want the full set, they'll have to get through me- and when they try, we'll just take their stars for ourselves!”

“Brilliant, sire!” Bandana Dee loyally exclaimed.

 _Who the heck keeps doing this?!_ Dedede wondered. _Hmm… slash marks, scorch marks, I know a few people who could do that… paint has me beat, though. Who do I know with a sword and fire powers?_

From the entrance of the chamber there came a sudden whooshing sound, followed by a voice calling, “Wait. You?!”

King Dedede smacked a flipper against his forehead. Of course.

He turned to face his friend with the sword that shot not just tornadoes, but fireballs.

“So Meta Knight, how many stars do you have? I'd like to get this done by dinner, if possible.” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to play spot-the-Avengers-reference!
> 
> Also, funny story, on my first attempt at this chapter I misremembered and thought that Chameleoarm was the boss of Cavios, and didn't realize my mistake until after I'd already written a big Meta Knight versus Chameleoarm scene. Whoops.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It becomes apparent to our heroes that something in their plan has gone very wrong.

Meta Knight's eyes widened in somewhat annoyed surprise when he saw King Dedede and Bandana Dee poking around the chamber on Hotbeat where he'd bested Chameleoarm. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly, shoulders slumping as Sailor Dee scurried into the room behind him.

“So much for coordination and communication.” Meta Knight muttered, rubbing the side of his head (where his temples would have been, if he'd been any more than just head).

“I have the stars of Hotbeat and Cavios.” he began. “Whi-”

“Wait, what?” King Dedede exclaimed. “Then who beat us to Floria?”

Meta Knight glared at his more-or-less-friend, exhaling sharply. “I was getting there. I sent the Meta-Knightmares out as well. They have the Floria and Aquarius stars, possibly the Sky High one if you haven't grabbed that one already.” he said.

Bandana Dee shuffled his feet.

“That's the only one we have so far, sir.” he said. “Went straight there once we saw the Floria star was gone.”

King Dedede waved a flipper dismissively. “Well, looks like it all worked out in the end.” he said, corners of his mouth turning up briefly. “All the stars we thought were missing were ones you've got and vice versa. Between us we've got,”

His brows furrowed; he looked up in thought as he added up the stars they all said they had. “what, five stars? And if there's only seven planets then there's just two more to go. We'll have this settled in no time.”

Meta Knight nodded in agreement. “The four of us can handle Halfmoon. I'll send the Meta-Knightmares to Mecheye. They might take a bit longer than us, however.”

King Dedede sighed and shrugged. “Meh. So long as we get this out of the way today. Speaking of which, can we get a move on?”

 

Halfmoon, the most distant of the seven worlds that encircled Pop Star, was also the most treacherous. Gale force winds tore through forests and plains beneath an eternal night, which in time gave way for a strange, chaotic landscape that seemed to be one with the dazzling starry skies above. Its inhabitants, a sight less lazy than Dreamland's, were easily put on the defensive when strangers showed up on their turf- at which point they promptly went on the offensive. There were peaceful regions, to be sure, but its own Fountain of Dreams was hidden away in the more turbulent parts.

In spite of all that, it still hadn't too difficult for Kirby and Galacta Knight together to overcome all of the obstacles thrown at them by Halfmoon (an apt name, Galacta Knight thought, although in truth he knew that it was still more than half of what it had once been) and wrest the wishing star from where it was hidden, in a vast, wide field surrounded by jagged rocks blue as the evening sky. It reminded Galacta Knight of the place where he'd first fought with Meta Knight.

They had no idea, of course, that on the far side of the planet Meta Knight himself, along with King Dedede and their Waddle Dee subordinates, was beginning his own hunt for the wishing star.

“Time to go find another star?” Kirby said cheerfully. At that moment, a loud gurgling sound rumbled across the field. “On second thought… it's definitely time for a snack break. There's bound to be something tasty around here somewhere. See you in a bit!”

With that, the younger pink puffball started decisively walking off in the direction of nothing in particular. Galacta Knight raised an eyebrow but said nothing of it, letting himself descend to the surface on the far side of the fountain to give his tired wings a break. As eager as he was to get to NOVA and put an end to the wish- curse, more like- that had sealed him away, if there was any planet he was willing to be stuck a little longer on, it was Halfmoon, so long as he could get away from this particular valley. Might as well look around, he thought sadly, to see if there were any places he recognized from the old Eternal Star it had once been, ages ago.

 

Privately, Trident Knight found herself somewhat daunted by the prospect of wresting the Mecheye wishing star from its formidable security forces with only the other three Meta-Knightmares by her side. The massive foundry's defenses were bound to be as tight as those of the Halberd's own shipyard. It was no wonder, really, that originally Lord Meta Knight had intended to see to the planet personally. But outwardly of course she faced the task with the same determination she'd show any mission appointed to her by her commander.

“We'll have to be careful.” Axe Knight said, once they managed to finally land their Warp Star at the safest visible landing point. A pair of laser balls had descended upon them the instant they'd neared the surface. “Avoid being noticed if we can help it. These guys look really know what they're doing.”

Javelin Knight hummed in thought. “They do… so why aren't there more of them?” she mused.

Beneath her helmet, Trident Knight frowned. “That's strange.” she said, looking around to see if their arrival had been noticed by anyone else.

“Hmph. If we're getting a lucky streak I say we don't question it.” Mace Knight said. “Let's go.”

Said good fortune seemed to hold out as they headed deeper into the foundry. The great number of guards they'd expected to run into failed to appear, and the ones that did get in their way somehow seemed especially desperate in their attacks. In spite of Mace Knight's advice, his comrades were definitely questioning their 'luck'.

Their search was interrupted when they came upon a wide, deep chasm in the planet's steely surface, evidently a gap between two separate factories. A small Warp Star hovered above the divide on their side. As they made their way toward it, Trident Knight hesitated.

“Wait. Something's wrong.” she said.

Her companions looked at her quizzically as she scanned the sky. Her trident, held at the ready, crackled with electricity. For a moment she waited; then, when she saw what she was looking for, she hurled her weapon into the air. It narrowly missed her target- a lone Birdon- but it certainly got the guard's attention.

As the Birdon swooped at her, she shouted, “Were we the first knights to pass this way?”

“Of course not!” the Birdon snapped. Its talons crashed against her armor with a _clang_ , and she swiped at it with her trident. “What do you want with our planet?!”

The other Meta-Knightmares quickly came to her aid, and soon drove the Birdon away.

“I can't believe it. He was here! He beat us here!” Trident Knight said angrily.

“Wait, seriously?!” Axe Knight said.

“Who else could it be?” Trident Knight snapped.

“We have to warn Lord Meta Knight.” Mace Knight said.

“We have to get to Halfmoon!” Trident Knight declared. “Even if he's gone back to another world, he'll head there eventually. If we join with Lord Meta Knight and the rest there, the eight of us can bring him down for good.”

A few minutes later, an observer would have seen a point of golden light screaming out of the Mecheye sky, a reverse shooting star flying straight for distant Halfmoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's wondering, King Dedede thinks there's only seven stars since he wasn't aware that Kirby's Warp Star counted as a wishing star (which I never quite got in Milky Way Wishes but that's the way it is). Also, since the Computer Virus battle background reminded me of the background of the final battle of Meta Knightmare Ultra I figured they were in more or less the same place.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes converge on Halfmoon, as the stage sets itself for a showdown.

“Are we there yet?” King Dedede grumbled as he, Meta Knight, and their loyal Waddle Dee subordinates trudged across Halfmoon.

Meta Knight rolled his eyes. “No, I told you already, the last time I came this way I found the star in a valley. Which this is clearly not.” He heaved an exasperated sigh. “But, we're getting close. And if you'd quit whining and dragging your feet we'd probably get there a lot quicker.”

Bandana Dee reluctantly held his tongue- galling as it was to hear someone mock his liege lord, the two old more-or-less-friends tended to bicker a lot no matter the situation and there wasn't really anything he could do about that. Instead he tried to take his mind off it by taking in the view; bizarre as it was, Halfmoon was in many ways quite lovely. The pretty violet hue of the rocks, the stars embedded in the ground… those faint footprints heading in the same direction that they were, smudged by King Dedede and Meta Knight's passing, also in the ground… huh…

“Great King! Sir Knight! I don't think we're the first to go this way today!” he announced.

Beside him, Sailor Dee looked down at their feet, and hopped back a ways in surprise when he saw what Bandana Dee meant.

“Oh my gosh! But, I thought we'd cleared up the missing star mishap?” Sailor Dee pondered. “Who's this?”

Meta Knight frowned at the trail ahead of them (not that anyone could see it). “Hopefully, it's just another local.” He hummed in thought. “Although it does seem to go on pretty far ahead. In the right direction.”

“Seriously?!” King Dedede groaned, smacking a flipper against his face. “Ugh, I don't care who it is, I'm gonna get them for this.”

“I'm inclined to agree with you-” Meta Knight began.

“Sir? I just got a message, I think it's from the Meta-Knightmares.” Sailor Dee squeaked, handing the phone over to Meta Knight.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow (although to everyone present he appeared as unruffled as he always did) as he accepted it. He tried to open the message- pre-recorded, evidently- only to be met with a storm of static and garbled sounds that almost, but not quiet, sounded entirely unlike voices.

“It looks like something in the Mecheye atmosphere interfered with its sending.” Meta Knight said. He glanced up at the sky. “But they must have been in a rush when they sent it, if they knew they wouldn't be able to reply. Dedede- go on ahead. I want to see if I can get anything out of this.” he said, waving Dedede and Bandana Dee on.

“Suit yourself, though I don't see why you can't bash whoever it is first and deal with your Meat-Whatever later. We'll just get to pulverize them without you.” King Dedede said dismissively.

Bandana Dee scanned the ground closely as he and the great king trudged on. For once, he was in the lead, as King Dedede decided he didn't want to be bothered with looking for the trail himself and let his trusty retainer do the work for him. Instead, the penguin hefted his hammer and periodically looked around, to see if the new nuisance was in sight.

The trail took them across the dusty plain, past Halfmoon's Fountain of Dreams, and off into the sharp hills surrounding them. Finally, it lead them to-

“You've GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! KIRBY?!” King Dedede shouted.

Kirby waved at them from the large, flat boulder he was sitting on, and polished off the bunch of cherries he'd been holding in one. “Hello!” he said happily. “Uh, fancy seeing you here!”

“ARGH! This is turning into the shortcake thing all over again.” King Dedede said, dragging a flipper down the side of his face. He exhaled quickly. “You're here for the stars?”

“Yep!”

“Of course. How many stars do you have?”

“Three, so far.” Kirby said. “You?”

“…One.” Dedede admitted. “Meta Knight's got two and his Meta-Minions or whatever also have two. We're hoping to consult NOVA about our latest impending doom.”

“Same.” Kirby said. “Hey, where's Meta Knight now?”

King Dedede plopped down on the boulder beside him. “Eh, taking a message somewhere over there. I'm sure he'll find us soon enough. You got any more of those cherries?”

 

It was not long before the eerie violet surface of Halfmoon began to loom large in the Meta-Knightmares' vision, so that the chaotic and rocky landscapes could be seen here and there beneath a sky of shredded clouds. Tossing caution to the winds that tore across the world's surface, they aimed their Warp Star not for the safest available landing spot, but for the point that seemed likeliest to shelter the wishing star. There they would await their quarry; and once he was in sight, they would put an end to Dreamland's latest nightmare.

They crashed- intentionally- in a rugged valley rimmed with high, jagged peaks, the fountain that had once held Halfmoon's star glittering in the dim starlight not too far off. The _Halberd's_ elites hauled themselves from the wreckage and sped toward the fountain.

“Drat it!” Trident Knight shouted when she saw that the wishing star was gone. It took all of her self-restraint to reign in her rage and not deface the thing with her trident.

“Calm down, Trident Knight.” Axe Knight said. “It's not like going to be making any wishes any time soon, not without our own stars.”

“And he won't get those without a fight.” Trident Knight growled. “I refuse to roll over and let him devastate whatever he pleases.”

While she seethed over the empty fountain, Mace Knight and Javelin Knight stepped back to inspect the area. To Javelin Knight's surprise, she discovered a large number of footprints smattered about in the dusty earth. Most of them were small and simple, what she'd expect from the world's inhabitants, but some of the older ones- obscured here and there by the others- looked as if they were armored. There were no plated prints leading to the fountain, but a faint trail of them headed off toward the craggy rim of the valley; a thin line went alongside them in the dust, as if their maker had been dragging something beside him.

“Come look at this!” she said. “We might still be able to find him. Look- I _think_ those are armored footprints, do you see the same?”

Mace Knight hurried over and stomped his own armored boot beside the ones Javelin Knight had found. “Looks armored to me.” he said.

“Well, what are we standing around for? We've got a trail to follow!” Trident Knight exclaimed.

Together the Meta-Knightmares rushed reckless along the trail their target had left, Trident Knight running at the lead. It was not long before they started gaining on the strongest warrior in the galaxy.

“YOU!” Trident Knight roared.

The winged warrior whirled on them. He held his shield close and raised his lance as the knights charged. Then, he slashed his weapon through the air. A wide blade of energy surged at his assailants, forcing the Meta-Knightmares to hurl themselves out of the way.

Quickly they got back to their feet, only to see that the warrior was perched out of reach upon a high sharp rock, and at its base- and fast approaching- were mirror images of themselves. Trident Knight growled in aggravation as she struggled to cut down her own doppelganger. The warrior made no move to strike while the mirror-knights were on the field, merely observing from afar.

Suddenly fireballs shot through the air from behind the Meta-Knightmares, striking down the doppelgangers. In the next instant Lord Meta Knight followed them, flying into the fray on swift wings. On his high perch, the winged warrior raised his lance.

For a moment the two knights glared at each other from across the battlefield. Then, without a word, the horned warrior spread his wings and soared straight up into the sky.

“He's got the Mecheye star, sir!” Axe Knight reported.

“Drat! Who knows what he's trying to accomplish.” Meta Knight said.

“We have to go after him. Sir!” Trident Knight proclaimed.

“What happened to Sailor Dee?” Mace Knight asked.

“When I heard your shouting, I left him at the border of this valley. He should be well hidden. I told him that if we don't return within an hour, he's to find a Warp Star and head back to Pop Star.” Meta Knight explained. “Now, we have to put a stop to this. Come with me! We have the greatest warrior in the galaxy to hunt.”

 

Not far away, in the sharp hills, Kirby and King Dedede watched as a white speck of light zoomed off into space, closely followed by a larger blue speck.

“Holy smokes! That must be Meta Knight!” King Dedede said, eyes wide as Maxim Tomatoes.

“Is that G- is he following the other knight?” Kirby asked.

“Who else could it be?” the penguin said, staring up at the sky. “C'mon, let's get a Warp Star and go after them. We've gotta settle this.”

Behind him and Waddle Dee, Kirby closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay. Yeah. Let's get this settled.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people squabble and beat the stuffing out of each other instead of talking things out like adults.

A battle raged in the depths of space.

After flying from Halfmoon, Meta Knight and his soldiers had cornered Galacta Knight in a field of rocky violet-hued debris. Now, they were determined to defeat him no matter what the cost.

Meta Knight ascended, dueling Galacta Knight at his enemy's own level. Always he sought to keep his adversary between him and the ground, to give the Meta-Knightmares the clearest possible target. As their commander traded blows with Galacta Knight, Javelin Knight let loose volley after volley of her sharp-tipped projectiles and Axe Knight lobbed wickedly sharp blades toward their target. Mace Knight swung his morning star above his head, making it spin faster and faster until finally he let the spiked iron ball fly.

It collided straight on with their foe, but Galacta Knight shrugged it off and continued to stab at Meta Knight as if nothing had happened. Not to be outdone, Trident Knight fired up her jetpack and shot herself into the fray up above. She held out a trident a head of her as she flew toward the clashing knights like an arrow, ready to drive it into Galacta Knight's armor. Before she could strike the horned warrior suddenly turned and slammed his shield into her. For a split second she spun out and plunged toward the unstable surface before regaining control. She plunged her trident into the ground and skidded to a halt.

In spite of their best efforts the Meta-Knightmares had yet to make so much as a dint in Galacta Knight's armor. Even working together they mainly distracted their enemy, giving their commander a better chance to deal more decisive blows.

Galacta Knight broke off the exchange first. For a moment Meta Knight feared that he was fleeing again as he had on Halfmoon, but rather than attempt to escape the fray Galacta Knight dove downwards. The Meta-Knightmares rushed to intercept him, weapons raised. Before he hit the ground Galacta Knight swung his lance and summoned a set of ghostly swords. They raced ahead of him and ricocheted when they struck the ground, sending the Meta Knight's lackeys ducking for cover.

Galacta Knight raised his lance above his head and then swung in down in an arc, sending a tempestuous tornado flying across the battlefield. Having thoroughly scattered the Meta-Knightmares, Galacta Knight launched himself back into the air to deal with their master Meta Knight shot fireballs toward the horned warrior, following them up with a sword beam. In an instant the two knights had resumed their duel.

Off in the distance two gold specks of light gleamed, and quickly grew in size as the Warp Stars raced toward the combatants. One of them- Kirby's own Warp Star- arrived far before the other. The small pink puffball landed directly below the knights, hopping off the instant the star touched the ground. He sucked in a _very_ deep breath.

“WAIT!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, so loudly that probably even King Dedede and Waddle Dee heard him from their Warp Star a little ways away.

Both knights paused mid-strike as Kirby took another breath and floated up to them.

“Kirby? What are you doing?!” Meta Knight said, not taking his eyes off of his opponent lest he take advantage of Kirby's arrival and resume his onslaught.

To the swordsman's astonishment, Galacta Knight did nothing of the kind. Instead, he raised his shield defensively and retreated a few feet, watching Meta Knight warily.

“Seriously, what's going on?” Meta Knight demanded.

A loud crash and an “Oof!” alerted them to the arrival of King Dedede and his trusty servant.

“What the heck's going on up there?” King Dedede called.

Meta Knight groaned in frustration. “Well, as soon as Kirby starts explaining, we'll fi- oh my!”

The wishing stars he'd collected suddenly flew from him, darting away before he could reach out to stop them. The other stars collected by Kirby, King Dedede, and Galacta Knight followed suit, circling together in space before them. For a moment the eight glittering stars spun about, then suddenly they flew together and collided at where the center of their circle had been. All eight stars vanished in an instant, and a giant, massive golden shape slowly faded into existence before them.

NOVA had been summoned.

“No,” Galacta Knight whispered, horrorstruck. “no, no NO!”

He turned and flew with great speed in the other direction, only to run straight into a barrier that was as solid as it was invisible. He stabbed at it over and over with his lance to no avail.

Breathing shakily, he slowly turned back to face NOVA, sure that at any moment he would find himself sealed away again in that claustrophobic crystal.

“WAIT.” the clockwork comet said, in a booming, incredulous voice. “YOU HAVE _ALL_ SUMMONED ME?”

“It was not our intention to summon you together, NOVA.” Meta Knight said. “But-”

“THEN YOU WILL NEED TO CHOOSE YOUR WISH TOGETHER.” NOVA decreed. “MY WISHES HAVE BEEN ABUSED TOO MANY TIMES.”

“Aw, heck.” Dedede groaned. “Do we seriously have to come up with a wish with the very guy we've been trying to stop this whole time?!”

Meta Knight met Galacta Knight's wide eyes across the void. He was silent for a moment, remembering all he'd seen and heard of the horned warrior. “We'll have to find another way. We'll have to forfeit the wish.”

“What makes you think NOVA will allow that?! Like it or not, I have a say here. _I'm_ not giving up that wish.” Galacta Knight demanded.

Meta Knight glared at him. “What do you _want_? More power? More destruction?” he asked. He raised his sword. “I don't think so. We will never allow you to endanger another soul ever again!” he said defiantly.

“Freedom.” Galacta Knight said simply.

Meta Knight blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Freedom. To never be sealed away again. That's all I want.” the horned warrior said.

“That's what we came out here for!” Kirby said frantically.

“You were working with him?!” Meta Knight said. “Seriously? After hearing everything I've learned about him?”

“Yes, seriously! Galacta Knight's not that bad!” Kirby said. “Actually pretty nice when you get to know him.”

King Dedede and Meta Knight exchanged a glance.

“That's great, Kirby, but I'd like to hear him speak for himself.” Dedede said finally, flippers crossed.

Meta Knight's eyes widened as he stared at Dedede in shock. “You're not serious. Sealed away because his power was too great? Could easily destroy worlds?!”

“I came out here to wish for information. And now I can get that without the wish and then use the wish for something else. Win-win.”

Meta Knight slapped a hand against his forehead. “You were going to waste a wish that powerful on something that simple? …that is so like you.” He heaved a frustrated sigh, dragging his hand down his face. “Fine. Since you have a say in this wish I guess I don't have a choice. Explain yourself.”

Galacta Knight glanced at Kirby, who nodded encouragingly.

“What you have heard about me is true, Meta Knight.” he began. “I wish that it was not but I cannot deny that I… abused my power in the past. I deserved to be punished for it in some way. But sealed away? You can't imagine what that was like! Stuck in that-”

He glanced at Kirby again and briefly broke off. Whatever adjective he had meant to say went unsaid.

“-that crystal prison, left to rot forever for all anyone cared. I don't know how long it was. But I could have been confined in there until I died with the universe itself if _you_ hadn't wished to fight me. So thanks for that, I guess. Except that before that fight I'd been totally unconscious in my prison. After you summoned me I was aware that time was passing again. That wasn't punishment. That was _torture_. And I will not allow anyone to do that to me again!” Galacta Knight said angrily.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Please. I know that what I did was terrible. If I could undo it I swear I would in a heartbeat. And if you let me stay free now I promise that I will NEVER abuse my powers ever again. I promise. Wish to take them away if you're that troubled. Please, I beg you, just don't seal me away again.” he said desperately.

Kirby looked anxiously to King Dedede and Meta Knight, who seemed to be considering.

Finally, King Dedede said, “What _did_ you do?”

“Do you know of Rock Star?” Galacta Knight asked in a pained tone.

“Course I do,” Dedede said. “it's that big desert world that's in a whole bunch of… pieces…” His eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said. “Oh my gosh, that was you?!”

“Yes.” Galacta Knight confessed. “I destroyed it. I devastated Rock Star and Halfmoon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured I had to have Galacta Knight bust at least two planets, so that Star Dream's lines would make sense (also, gives a pretty good reason for him to be sealed away in the first place, don't you think?). And if NOVA seems unusually concerned here about how its wish will be used (unlike how it was a-OK with Marx's dreams for world domination), bear in mind that the last time it was blase about a wish (re:world domination), it got smashed to pieces. It's not too eager to have that happen again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to the history of the galactic knight.

The day was long ago, in the ages past before the kingdom of Dreamland had even been dreamt of; when stars themselves had borne different names, when Shiver Star was greener and livelier, Eternal Star's surfaces were unmarred, and arid Rock Star was still whole.

That day was unfortunately not a calm or peaceful one. The many worlds in Pop Star's neighborhood were wracked with fear as a shadowy threat loomed larger and larger, a threat that even back then was already ancient. With every passing hour more people succumbed to the darkness's touch, turning on their friends and anyone who got too close, and in the depths of space a new, dark star emerged. The inhabitants of the worlds nearby were deserting their homes en masse; the starships of ancient Rock Star and the machines of Shiver Star had never been more active as they worked to help people escape the danger.

This darkness was not going unchallenged. The fairy folk of Ripple Star, or so it was whispered among the stars, were creating a way to destroy it, and it would not be long before they used their new crystal weapon to eradicate the dark star and its spawn entirely. Most of the people who heard this tale chose to believe in it. After all, the fairies were said to be wise and powerful, and it was better to hold out some hope than just give up to fear entirely.

There was one warrior who disagreed, and he didn't care who heard him. Why wait for the fairies? His own considerable might would be enough to put an end to the tiresome shadow. Sure, for a while there all the chaos had been pretty fun; galavanting across the stars, relishing in the chance to vanquish monster after monster driven into violence by the shadow's touch. It was actually a challenge to stay on top of them all, and that was a rare thing for him.

But he knew that in the end the safety of the galaxy kinda sorta outweighed a chance to enjoy constant stream of battling. For every bit of darkness he smashed out of some poor unlucky soul, another, maybe a dozen more, would take its place. Now that the dark star had appeared- the heart of all the darkness, if the fairies were to be believed- he reluctantly decided that the time was ripe to get things back to normal.

So on that day, Galacta Knight set off for deep space. When the world of shadow finally came into view, a distant sphere of shadow that blotted out the light of the other stars, he raised his lance and charged at it. He let his power surge into his weapon and held it straight before him as he accelerated, crossing the interstellar difference in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Galacta Knight plunged into Dark Star with the force of all that mindbending speed behind his strike. The sea of Dark Matter furiously tried to hold itself together, and managed to keep from being entirely ripped apart even as it was driven backwards by the blow.

Surrounded on all sides by inky darkness, Galacta Knight did not see that just beyond his target lay Rock Star, and by that point he could not have stopped what was about to happen even if he had realized his horrible mistake in the nick of time. Dark Star crashed into the planet behind it, and the full force of Galacta Knight's onslaught was transferred into the far more brittle rocky world. Galacta Knight himself only just escaped destruction, shielded from the whole shock by the decaying Dark Matter around him.

 

He came to days later, every nerve in his body screaming in complaint at what he'd put himself through. The darkness had disintegrated, and he found himself drifting through a field of dust and shards of rock.

 _Where am I?_ he thought. His attack had seemed to go smoothly at first, slicing through Dark Matter with most of the ease he'd expected. But… where had that sudden shock at the end come from? It felt like he'd been body slammed by a planet, not destroyed Dark Matter. He shuddered involuntarily at the memory. That might just count as the worst defeat of his career, and he didn't even have a clue as to what it was. He supposed this must be how his enemies felt when he took them by surprise.

 _What's this asteroid belt doing here?_ he wondered.

Galacta Knight cautiously flapped his aching wings and looked around to see if he could figure out what the heck had happened. Where'd the asteroid belt come from? Had he destroyed Dark Matter, or had it done this to him? And… what were those massive chunks of rock that were floating in front of him…?

He turned his back on the cataclysm. There was no sign of Dark Star,and off in the distance he saw Aqua Star, Ripple Star, Shiver Star, indeed almost all of the planets he knew.

Wait. Where was Rock Star? …No. He'd- no. No! Had he-? No, surely, that hadn't been-? The new asteroid belt, the hunks of rock, no it couldn't be-

Slammed into a planet…

He felt hideously sick asthe terrible realization washed over him. He should've been more careful- he should've been careful, period! Should've checked to see no one get hurt, that there would be no collateral damage, should've waited for the fairies, should've done literally anything else…

Now what should he do?

 

In the end, still reeling from shock, he took refuge on Eternal Star. Galacta Knight hadn't exactly made a secret of his plan to take care of the Dark Matter problem personally, and it wouldn't take long for people to put two ruined planets together and come up with his name. He knew of course that Eternal Star wasn't a very good place to hide if he wanted to avoid getting found. It would probably be the first place they'd look, when they decided to come for him. But there was a part of him almost wanted to be found and taken down, after what he'd done.

No one came for him immediately. No one in their right mind would have tried to fight the strongest warrior in the galaxy so soon after seeing what he was capable of (not to say that everyone remained in their right mind after learning about the terrible devastation of Rock Star). His newly-made enemies took a markedly cautious approach. Confronting him directly seemed hopeless, so they decided to call on something even more formidable: NOVA.

They worked carefully but quickly, aiming to acquire the stars they needed long before Galacta Knight could ever find out and put a stop to their efforts. Things went quite smoothly at first. But fear gnawed at them; they suspected that Galacta Knight was lurking on Eternal Star, and that he would be lying in wait to ambush them the moment they touched its surface. So they devised a desperate plan. One of their number would sneak across the world in secret as they searched for the stars, but first the rest of their league would venture down to the planet- openly.

They were amazed that the desperate knight did not rush to face them right away, and that neither did he flee; he wasn't quite in his right mind either after all that had happened, and as he only thought then in terms of might, tales of clockwork suns and wishing stars eluded his mind. In short, he hadn't an inkling of what his enemies' true intentions were.

He thought that they simply wanted to kill him.

In the end, his sense of self-preservation won the day in his mind. And so fierce fight broke out under Eternal Star's chaotic skies as the secret star-chaser slunk silently through the shadows.

Galacta Knight did not intend to wreak any further havoc than was necessary to save his own skin. At first, he even tried to hold himself back. But he was beset on all sides by foes determined to contain him, dogging his steps as their battle raged over the planet. Blinded by desperation he ramped up his attacks, bent on incapacitating the lesser warriors, so his enemies would think twice before sending anyone else after him.

And that was his other mistake.

Violet dust settled over fresh gouges and fractures scattered across the world's surface. Jagged spears of rock struck the sky on the horizon where the ground had smashed, and small fissures and crevasses riddled what had once been simply empty plains, and was now the surface of a shallow valley. Scattered across it were Galacta Knight's opponents, too stunned, fearful, or wounded to stir. Water trickled from Eternal Star's Fountain of Dreams, which had a deep crack in its basin.

At its center was Galacta Knight himself, motionless as the stared across the fresh desolation he'd created. He did not take heed of a small speck of light that darted across the sky from where the star-hunter had taken shelter.

Minutes later, he was staring out from behind clear blue facets, and found himself suddenly incapable of movement as the crystal enveloped him utterly.

A booming, disembodied voice resounded in his mind as consciousness slipped away from him, stating plainly what was happening. It was his punishment to be sealed away, for his power was too great, the voice said. Cold fear lanced through him- sealed? For how long? What was to be his final fate?- and he struggled feebly against his prison even as all thought faded away.

 

And then, mere moments and yet unknown ages later, he awoke again as if from a long, deep, but discomfitingly restless sleep. The voice of NOVA once again echoed inside his head, explaining his challenger's wish as he came face to face with a resolute armored swordsman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Alternate summary: "Oops.")
> 
> Working on chapter 14 right now! Things are pretty busy for me this week and next week, and I haven't had as much time to write as I'd like, but hopefully it should be complete by this time next week!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which this tale comes to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long it took to get this up! Unfortunately a lot of things started happening at once out there in real life, between homework, a field trip, and an unexpected trip to the hospital (nothing serious, thankfully).  
> Thank you everyone who's been reading this, I hope you find this ending satisfying!

Kirby's eyes were wide as he blinked in stunned amazement. Meta Knight's face beneath his mask had a very disgusted look plastered over it. One of Bandana Dee's eyebrows was raised so high that it threatened to run up off his face entirely. And King Dedede stared at the horned warrior, eyes narrow, mouth slightly agape.

“You're kidding me.” he said simply.

“You have no idea how much I wish that were true.” Galacta Knight said.

“You smashed two planets to smithereens and beat up a third by _accident_?! Do I have that right?” the blue penguin demanded.

A little ways away, Trident Knight muttered “Knew it,” mostly to herself. If her arms had been more than mere armored stubs, she would have crossed them. But they weren't, so she didn't.

Mace Knight raised an eyebrow. “Really? You had all that figured out?” he asked skeptically.

“Well, I knew he must've done something big like that.” Trident Knight said. Behind his mask, Axe Knight rolled his eyes.

“I _told_ you.” grumbled Meta Knight, who knew what he was talking about. His grip on his sword was so tight it was a minor miracle that it hadn't snapped clean in half in his fist. “And now what do we do? Contrite or not, you're still ridiculously dangerous.”

The corner of King Dedede's beak twisted up as he thought. “What were you planning to do, anyway, if you had gotten all the stars before us and freed yourself?” he asked.

Galacta Knight shrugged, inasmuch as an armless puffball can shrug.

“Go back into hiding, probably. Lay low and keep out of trouble. If things started pointing south, find someone who can handle it who knows their own strength and let them figure out what to do.” he said.

The others considered this.

“We have beaten him before…” King Dedede said, although the words rang somewhat hollow now that they knew what Galacta Knight was truly capable of.

“And we let Magolor stick around,” Bandana Dee added. “even though he deliberately tried to take over the universe, destroy Pop Star, and leave us in a crumbling alternate dimension.”

“Wait, since when has Magolor been back?” Meta Knight asked. “Didn't he end up being left in that crumbling dimension instead? How'd he get out?”

“Y'know, I'm actually not sure.” Kirby said. “But yeah, he's around. He said he's sorry.”

“Really…? Still, the Master Crown was destroyed, it's not like Magolor could really do anything anymore even if he wanted to.” Meta Knight noted.

King Dedede nodded in agreement, frowning thoughtfully. Meta Knight breathed a silent sigh of relief; the blue penguin seemed to be finally taking his side on the matter. But then, a devious grin crossed the self-proclaimed monarch's face.

“Speaking of destructive people we've kinda sorta forgiven, Kirby…”

The young puffball started in surprise, and Galacta Knight's eyes widened in bemusement. “Wait, me? What did I do?” Kirby asked.

“Oh, don't tell me you forgot about the shortcake fiasco.” King Dedede said, wearing a wicked smile. A horrified look crept onto Kirby's face as he turned a much redder shade of pink. “Y'know, the time you beat me up and went on a rampage all because someone stole your snack?”

“H-hey, you once stole _everybody's_ food, who else was I supposed to suspect?” Kirby countered, still bright rose pink from embarrassment.

“Yeah, but then you also went and fought _Meta Knight_ about it- like he'd go around swiping shortcakes for the heck of it!” King Dedede said with a snicker.

Kirby mumbled something incoherent, shuffling his feet. Meta Knight his head sanctimoniously, while Galacta Knight's eyebrows shot upwards.

“And don't think you're off the hook either, 'pal',” King Dedede went on. “not after you tried to invade my kingdom!”

“Oh, come on!” Meta Knight said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “That was ages ago!”

“I never did anything like that.” Bandana Dee chimed in.

“No one's asking you.” Dedede growled. “Anyway, we've all done things we're not proud of- stealing food, stabbing your friend in the back and trying to conquer his kingdom, ransacking everything in sight to get a bit of cake back, tricking people into lending a hand and then trying to take over the universe… accidentally smashing entire planets… yeah, that still sounds worse. Eh.”

Meta Knight raised an eyebrow. “Is there a point to this?”

“Well, if we let each other stick around…” Dedede said. “why not let him? Sure, he's strong, but we've got Kirby on our side if anything goes south.”

Meta Knight knew Dedede had a point there; he'd been there when Kirby took down Star Dream, a clockwork sun, something he would've called impossible had he not witnessed it himself. Speaking of the youngest puffball present, Kirby was staring pleadingly at Meta Knight with sad, impossibly wide eyes. His lip quivered, and tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. Meta Knight would've ground his teeth if he'd had them.

“Ugh. Fine. If anything _does_ go south, though, it's on you two.” the swordsman growled.

“Meh.” Dedede said with a dismissive shrug.

“Yes!!” Kirby said, smiling hugely, tears mysteriously vanishing without a trace.

“I don't know how to thank you-” Galacta Knight began, but Meta Knight cut him off with a wave, massaging his forehead- er, mask- with one hand.

“Yes, yes, let's just get this over with before I change my mind.” Meta Knight grumbled. “Kirby- you handle the wishing.”

“Really? Oh, okay.” Kirby said.

He puffed himself up and floated a little ways away, to more properly address NOVA. The wish-granter looked patiently down at the small puffball.

“Okay, here goes nothing.” Kirby muttered. “NOVA, we wish that Galacta Knight was freed from the wish that sealed him away in the first place!”

“VERY WELL.” NOVA said in its booming voice. It sounded just the same as it had every other time it had granted a wish, but somehow managed to give the impression of being quite relieved that this wish wasn't likely to end up with it being smashed to smithereens again. “3… 2… 1… GO!”

The mighty machine's eyes shone with an overflowing, brilliant light which radiated across the space where everyone else was standing. A pale glow came over Galacta Knight, which flashed suddenly when the light of NOVA hit it, before seeming to solidify and then shattering entirely.

“Thank you!” Kirby said, beaming.

For a moment the giant clockwork sun remained suspended in space, and Kirby waited for it to say something else. NOVA's eyes flicked toward Galacta Knight for a split second, and maybe it considered telling him to make the most of this second chance, but then it thought better of admonishing the warrior who destroyed Star Dream in one blow and simply disappeared into nothingness once more.

Galacta Knight inhaled deeply, a huge grin creeping over his hidden face. For the first time in ages he felt positively giddy. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go soaring across the stars for joy or simply stay where he was and savor the moment. Kirby said something about the whole lot of them going back to Pop Star together, but he wasn't truly listening, too happily caught up in an amazing realization:

Finally, he was free.


End file.
